The Deal
by Dyna Dee
Summary: Duo has had it. He's thrown in the towel, tired of failed dates and matchmakers.  He decides to give up dating altogether, then receives an offer for help that's too good to pass by.  A fluff, Heero and Duo get together  fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: As usual, nothing is mine except this story, and it's not certainly not doing anything to pay off my credit cards.

**The Deal  
By Dyna Dee**

**Warnings**: fluff, a touch of drama and m/m relationships. Out of character? Probably

Part 1

"Ah... thanks, but I think I'll pass," said the tall and slender young man with the waist-length braid to fellow Preventer agent Brown in a polite yet somewhat strained voice. "I'm just not into blind dates." It took a lot of restraint on his part to not show just how insulted he really was by the well-intentioned offer.

"You're sure?" the not unattractive, thirty-ish blond woman in uniform asked. Her green eyes were pleading with him to give her sister the chance to date an eligable former gundam pilot. "I can assure you she's pretty and smart. She's a student at Oxford University and real catch." She was embarrassingly enthusiastic.

"I'm sure she is, Susan," he replied while reaching his left hand behind his head to absently scratch the top of his braid, something he did unconsciously when finding himself in an awkward situation. "But I've learned from past experience not to go into any situation blind. Thanks anyway." He lowered his arm, made a quick turn and bolted from the break room. His well-practiced friendly face dropped upon gaining the corridor, and anyone who happened to glance up to see the glowering expression he wore wisely got out of the way as he stormed towards his office.

For nearly three years Duo had shared an office with five other people, three of whom were his former comrades in war. Of that elite group, only Quatre was missing from their workplace, having declined Une's offer of a job with the Preventers, citing his family's need for his help in running Winner Industries Inc. Though not a Preventer, Quatre had established a house in the same city they had, sharing his heart, home and bed with a former circus clown. Duo had been overjoyed at having blond back on Earth, and not only for his friendship. Quatre, more often than not, acted as the temperamental group's mediator, mentor, confidant and instigator of frequent group get-togethers. He helped to unify and strengthen their bonds of friendship outside the workplace.

The five agents working in the shared office looked up from their tasks as Duo Maxwell dramatically burst into the room. Seeing the stormy expression on his face, the two older men, agents Byrd and Kurhle - who had the misfortune of dealing with the four often temperamental former gundam pilots on a daily basis - deliberately turned their attention away from the upset man, having learned the hard way that it was wise to leave his friends to deal with the rather dynamic agent. They exchanged a knowing look and then a grin. By the looks of it, they would have something interesting to share during lunch that day with their co-workers, always eager to hear the latest gossip about the agency's four intriguing agents.

The other three men in the room watched and waited until Duo sat down at his desk. Without looking up the braided man began hammering at his keyboard, his fingers punishing the keys with their forcefulness while his handsome face remained pinched with anger.

"What is it this time?" Wufei inquired casually, his eyes fixed on the top of the bent head. "Was the soda machine out of order, or didn't the evil snack machine give you back your change and you were caught breaking into it again?"

A large huff was heard before Duo, scowling unhappily, pushed back his chair in order to address the other three who were waiting patiently for his answer. He glanced at his watch and a look of disgust crossed his face. "It's not even eleven and I've already had two people ask me out on a date and two others tried setting me up with a friend or family member. What?" He looked up again with questioning eyes. "Do I have an _I'm available and desperate_ sign on my forehead?" he asked dramatically.

"You're single, attractive and currently unattached," Trowa stated the obvious.

"So what? So are Wufei and Heero."

"Heero scares everyone off and I'm seeing someone," stated Wufei, and the bland expression on his face told Duo that the Chinese agent thought he was being melodramatic about the whole situation. "Besides, anyone else would be flattered to have so many offers in such a short period of time."

"Pfft!" Duo used his hand to wave off the Asian man's comment. "Believe me, it gets old. And it's getting worse here in the office. How the hell am I supposed to work in this kind of environment? I swear, if one more person tries to set me up today, I'm outta here."

Looking for some form of sympathy, Duo observed that Heero merely raised a questioning eyebrow while the corners of Wufei and Trowa's lips twitched upward. "It's not funny!" he insisted, becoming increasingly angry at the two mocking the seriousness of the situation.

"If only our problems were as troubling as your animal magnetism and popularity, Duo," Trowa said with a smirk, indicating he was being sarcastic.

Wufei chuckled before saying in a dramatic and falsetto voice, "Don't want me simply because I'm easy on the eyes. Is it too much to ask that I be appreciated for my intellect?"

A standard issue, battered black stapler went flying across the room. Wufei ducked in a timely manner and the small office tool slammed into the well-dented wall behind him. Duo silently cursed the Chinese man's emerging sense of humor. On days where he was the focus of that humor he wished Wufei would go back to being the holier-than-thou, stuck-up teen he'd once known. Pay back's a bitch. "Shut up!" he snarled at the ebony-haired man, though he always did enjoy watching Wufei expertly duck his flying stapler and them raid his head warily up from under his desk. However, the smile on Wufei's face grew once he caught sight of a slight upward curve of his lips, indicating the lack of malice behind his words and actions.

"If I remember correctly, you haven't mentioned going out with anyone on a date in... quite a while," Heero observed thoughtfully. "Any particular reason why?"

Duo rolled his eyes, indicating that his friend was asking the stupidest question he'd ever heard. "You're right, I haven't dated in some time and, as a matter of fact, there is a reason. A very good reason," he replied.

"Please enlighten us," Wufei said. He had returned to sitting in his chair properly and had set his elbows on his desk in order to rest his chin on an upraised hand, wearing an expression of forbearance.

"Hero worship!" Duo replied. All heads turned to look with surprise at the Japanese Preventer. "H E R O," he spelled the word slowly. "Not Heero," he clarified with another dramatic roll of his eyes. "Ever since the last war ended and our identities were exposed there's rarely been a date where I haven't spent most of the evening dealing with someone looking at me like this." Putting his acting skills to good use, the braided man's face and eyes took on the exaggerated expression of blissful adoration as he gazed at a spot above Trowa's head. He held the pose for a long moment, making sure the others understood what he was saying, then dropped the expression and replaced it with an honest look of disgust. "Either that or they look like I'm going to pull out a knife and gut them at the least provocation. At first it was flattering, and then funny, but now I can't stand it when someone looks at me as if I'm a... a god or something. I've had no less than five women ask if they can have my love child for Pete's sake."

"So your solution is to stop dating?" Heero asked, one eyebrow rising. It seemed to Duo that particular eyebrow was getting quite a workout today.

"Damn right. I haven't had a decent date in ages, so I figure it's time to quit."

"Duo," Trowa cut in, his tone disapproving. "You're only twenty years old. You can't give up this early in the game."

"The hell I can't," the braided man replied hotly. "When I find someone who can treat me like a person and not like I'm the answer to their prayers, I'll give'em a chance. Unfortunately, you guys, Quatre and a few other friends are the only ones who do that, and Howard and Director Une definitely don't meet my criteria for a hot date."

"Wish I could help, Duo," Trowa gave him a mocking, over-played and pitiful-looking pout. "But I'm already taken and Quatre insists on not sharing."

"And I'm not gay," Wufei added, leaning back into his chair, looking like he was thoroughly enjoying the conversation.

Before Heero could add his two cents, Duo's vid phone buzzed. With a weary sigh he pulled his chair back into its proper position at his desk and answered the call.

"Hello, Duo," the familiar blond said in greeting.

A bright smile lit up the braided man's handsome face. "Hey, Quat! What's up?"

"Not much," the man in the business suit answered, and from what he could see in the background, Duo deduced that Quatre was calling from his office several blocks away. "How have you been?"

"Good," Duo replied, curious as to why the blond tycoon was calling him in the middle of the day. The two of them were as close as brothers, but most of their conversations took place in the evenings, after work. He wondered if his friend was calling officially, needing some help. "What can I do for ya?"

Quatre had the good manners to look slightly uncomfortable, raising one hand to run his fingers through his thick and straight blond hair as he answered the question. "Here's the thing, Duo," he began, appearing uncharacteristically nervous and his words seemed to come tripping inelegantly out of his mouth, without pause and with growing speed. "My sister Iyenna is in town for a visit and she... heh heh, or rather, I was wondering if you were free this evening. If you are, do you think you could come over to our place for dinner and maybe, after we've eaten and visited for a while, you could show her around the city, you know... take her out?"

Trowa's groan in the background was audible, as were Heero and Wufei's stifled snickers as they watched the majority of the braided man's face begin to turn an interesting shade of red. Through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes, Duo glared at the vid screen and his good friend wearing a hopeful expression. "You mean as in a _date_? A _blind date_?"

Sensing something was wrong by Duo's face and the tightness of his lips when he was the word_ date_, Quatre cleared his throat nervously and pulled at the collar of his blue dress shirt. "Ah... yes, I suppose so."

"Well my answer is..." Duo promptly and with unreasonable force hit the disconnect button and hung up on his friend. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and stormed angrily out of the office, living up to his earlier threat.

The vid phone at the braided man's desk rang once again and Wufei turned to Trowa, still sitting at his own desk. "You better answer that and explain to Quatre just how much he screwed up."

The auburn-haired young man nodded and rose from his chair to make his way over to Duo's vacated desk. As he answered the call, Heero glanced at the two other men in the room who were trying hard to look busy and disinterested in what had just happened. "You can sit down and get back to work now," he told them. "The show is over." Both agents, at least a decade older than the young volatile young men they shared the office with, nodded sheepishly and did as they were told.

After storming out of the Preventer building, Duo promptly shut off his cell phone and turend towards the parking garage and his bike. In mid stride he changed his mind and direction, now heading for the front door of the building. Once outside, he turned in the opposite direction of his apartment and began walking, hoping to work out some of his agitation. Slipping on his coat, he shoved his hands into the pockets and more or less sulked his way along the city streets. They just didn't get it, he thought to himself. Never in his life had he felt so... alienated from the human race. What was the big deal if he wasn't romantically attached to someone? It seemed as if everyone believed he couldn't possibly be happy if he didn't have a bed companion. Sure, he'd had plenty of those before and look what that got him: he was still alone and feeling rather lost in a sea of happy couples. He'd tried, honest to God he had. He really didn't want to be alone, but neither did he want an empty relationship. He'd been alone before and managed, though he didn't like dwelling on thoughts of his darker past. So what if he had an unfulfilled love life, despite all the dating he'd done since the last war? Recalling some of his more disastrous dates, he decided that there were worse things than taking himself out of the dating pool and getting on with his life.

He walked to the park, having calmed enough to almost enjoying the cool, early Spring morning. It was still a bit too chilly for his comfort but at least he was outside where the air was fresh and the surrounding foliage was green. The park was a large one and located in the city's center. It had a lake, a lot of open green space, gardens as well as pedestrian and bike paths. With no destination in mind, he decided the walking path that circled around the park would waste at least an hour, then he'd come up with a plan for how to spend the afternoon. He was absolutely, positively not going back to the office.

What was Quatre thinking? he asked himself as he meandered down the path. His sister Iyenna, from what he remembered, was at least ten years older than he was. It wasn't as if he had anything against older women, he just didn't want to date them. In fact, when it came dating, he had just about decided that he enjoyed being in the company of men much more than dealing with women and their perplexing emotions. Men were basic, straightforward and had a let's-get-down-to-it attitude. Women, well, he never did quite figure out exactly what they wanted, and he'd learned quickly that what worked well with one didn't necessarily have the same results with another.

Relationships, he decided, were very complicated, at least when it came to romance. Why couldn't he find someone like his friends? Sure, they were an unusual group, unique in some ways and complicated as hell, but they all got along well despite their differences. Somehow they always worked things out when there was a problem, sometimes coming to blows and other times talking things out. Yeah, friendship was the best kind of relationship. Maybe the problem was that he just wasn't meant to be in a relationship other than a friendship. For some reason that thought depressed him even though he'd come to that same conclusion every time he came home from another failed date, of which there had been way too many.

He walked at a quick pace, his mind trying to work out the differences between the men and women he'd dated. By the time he finished circling the park he'd pretty much come to the conclusion once again that giving up the whole dating experience was the wisest decision he could make. Now all he had to do was convince everyone else of his decision.

He stopped to eat lunch at a bistro he'd never visited before and lingered over his meal in order to take up more of his self-appointed free afternoon. After the waitress had cleared the table, she hovered nearby, displaying rather odd, coquettish behavior by sending come-hither glances that were less than professional. He decided it was time to pay the bill and get the hell out of there.

With his hands shoved into the pockets of his Preventer jacket once again, he strolled down the cleanly-swept city streets, lined on both sides by tall office buildings. After going several blocks his steps slowed and his face lit up when he saw the marquee of a movie house. It would be a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon.

The action adventure movie was to his liking, so much so that he'd stayed and watched it a second time. The war of AC 87 had many true tales of both heroes and villains that had proved over the years to be fertile ground for the makers of film and publishing industries. He stepped out of the theater with a grin on his face. Raising his right arm, he pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to see the time was roughly 5:20 p.m. The guys would be leaving the office in about ten minutes. He figured walk back to the office parking garage then drive to Heero's place. That would give his friend a half hour to make his way home before he showed up unexpectedly on his doorstep with the intention of asking Heero for his advice on how to convince everyone that he was serious about not dating.

He was late, and Heero Yuy was never late, Duo told himself as he leaned against the wall adjacent to the brown door with the gold metal number 309 placed at eye level. Though they lived only a nine city blocks away from each other, Duo liked this building better than the one where he'd rented an apartment. In a very small way Heero's building reminded him of L-2, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he detected the aromatic scent of several different ethnic seasonings blending together in the hallway to create an odd aroma. Curry, peppers, onions and garlic were the more predominant odors, as well as the underlying smell of fish. Alone, the spices would probably be pleasant enough, but mixed together it was a bit more pungent than most people could handle. The weird smell reminded him of the soup kitchens on L-2, where they used whatever spices were available and whatever else was on hand to add some flavor to the bland canned meat, dry-packed legumes and/or freeze-dried vegetables.

The elevator dinged cheerfully down the hallway, and, as he had noticed earlier when he'd exited that moving death trap, the doors to apartments 307 and 305 cracked open, the occupants obviously sneaking a peek at whoever was stopping at their floor. When a portly, older gentleman stepped out, the doors shut just as quickly as they'd opened a moment before, leaving Duo alone to watch the man waddle to his door at the far end of the long stretch of corridor.

It was 6:18, and having almost given up on Heero coming home, Duo picked up the faint sound of the handle on the stairwell door turning very, very slowly. The door inched open with extreme caution but stopped abruptly when a slight creak of the hinge broke the silence.

"Shit." The faint curse uttered by a familiar voice came to his ears only a fraction of a second before the two doors that had previously opened at the ding of the elevator cracked open once again, almost as if the action had been synchronized. The door to the stairwell opened with all haste and into the hallway came Heero with his head down, as if he were avoiding eye contact with someone. Not so surprisingly, the two apartment doors opened with a flourish, each revealing a young woman. Both women dramatically threw themselves out of their apartments and into the path of their neighbor.

"Mr. Yuy, how are you today?" An attractive, fair skinned and thirty-ish woman with red hair, long legs covered in pale-blue, skintight pants and low-cut white tank top ran to Heero's side and grabbed hold of his arm. "You look tired tonight. I've made a lasagna for supper tonight and would be happy to share it with you."

The other woman was opposite in contrast with the redhead. She had dark hair and skin and looked to be a little younger, shorter and more curvaceous than the other woman still hanging onto Heero's arm. She obviously felt a need to display those differences by wearing a pair of tight, white jeans and a low-cut floral blouse that revealed her ample cleavage. She was also pretty and looked to be of middle eastern heritage, like one of Rashid's sisters.

"Good evening, Heero," the second woman addressed her neighbor in a deep and sultry voice. "I've got lamb stew over couscous. I'm sure that would be more pleasant to your manly palate than noodles and tomato sauce."

"Are you insulting my cooking?" The redhead snapped as she turned to the other woman with malice burning in her eyes.

The dark haired woman merely smirked. "Cooking? Is that what you call it?"

Duo thought the clearing of his throat to announce his presence was apropos at that moment. Cat fights were interesting to watch, but from their close proximity, Heero would be caught dead in the middle of the scratching and hair pulling. He didn't think his conscience would ever leave him alone if he allowed that to happen to his buddy.

The women momentarily stopped their bickering to glance at him. Both gave him a look that was split between surprise and displeasure at having been interrupted. Heero, on the other hand, looked at him with an expression suggesting he was a bonafide lifesaver that was dangling in front of a desperately drowning man.

"Duo." Heero called out his name in a tone he'd never heard before, sounding both happy and relieved by his sudden appearance. Duo thought it was rather comical watching his normally composed, stoic friend clumsily disengage himself from the ladies' clutches and make a mad dash to his side. The former Wing Zero pilot stopped in front of him and whispered, "Sorry about this." Then without further warning Heero promptly shocked the socks off the braided man by throwing his arms around him, dipping his back slightly and then proceeded to kiss Duo squarely on the mouth, tongue and all.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**The Deal  
Dyna Dee**

Part 2

Duo's body was rigid, an instinctive reaction to Heero's sudden and very unexpected kiss, but he wasn't slow by any means. The slight dip gave away the game being played and he quickly decided to go along with Heero's ruse. Wrapping his arms more tightly around his friend's back, he returned the kiss with a slight moan in order to give the ladies watching them a very convincing show. Tilting his head to the side, his tongue tangoed with Heero's as he began mapping out the insides of his friend's mouth. Umm... he tasted like spearmint, and for a brief moment he dared to believed that the dreams he'd set aside a long time ago were now, amazingly, coming true.

Opening his eyes just slightly, he glanced over Heero's shoulder to see the women, standing shoulder to shoulder, mouths hanging open and looking at them with expressions akin to being shell shocked. From all appearances it seemed they had done a thorough job of dissuading two females from throwing themselves at Heero in the future. Duo pulled back and laughed a bit nervously. Feeling the heat in his cheeks, he looked at Heero from under the fringe of hair draped over his forehead and asked, "So, ya gonna invite me in or do we get it on in the hallway?" He was somewhat relieved to see his friend looking as flustered as he felt. He shifted his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, making sure the two women could see him do so and come to their own conclusions.

"Um... sure," Heero replied, letting Duo go so that he could stand on his own before he fished into his pockets for the key to his door. To continue the ploy, Duo hung on Heero's shoulder like a lover might and watched with some amusement as the other man's normally steady hand fumbled to get the key inside the lock. Ignoring the two appalled women, they basically tumbled into the apartment and quickly slammed the door shut behind them. With hands over their mouths and eyes watering from suppressed laughter, they listened to a few irate and un-lady-like words coming from the women in the hallway just before the sound of two slamming doors were heard.

Still trying to control his amusement at the whole situation, Duo kept his hand over his mouth as he followed Heero to the kitchen, where they both took a few minutes to rehash the now highly amusing scene.

"You can now consider yourself a free man and out of the closet," Duo said to his friend while sitting down at the table and wiping the moisture from his eyes.

Heero shrugged, his smile still in place as he pulled off his Preventer jacket and hung it over the back of the kitchen chair. "It was inspiration mixed with desperation. The moment I saw you standing by my door the solution to my nightly dilemma came to me. I realized those two would only leave me alone if they believed I was completely unavailable. By the way, thank you."

Heero turned to the refrigerator to remove a couple of bottles of beer and returned to the table, handing one to his friend before twisting the top off of his own.

"You're welcome," Duo replied with a grin, accepting the cold drink. "How long have they been vying for your attention like that?" The top of the bottle popped open with ease.

"Since I moved in here."

"A whole year!" Duo looked at his friend with disbelief. Heero didn't talk much about his social life, so he and the others just figured he didn't have one. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Heero shrugged, his usual answer to questions of a personal nature.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"Yes, and not with just those two women. Relena was strategically parked outside the employee entrance this evening. That's why I was late in arriving home."

"I thought you two had that talk after the war." Duo studied his friend, who looked strangely uncomfortable.

"We did. I talked, she didn't listen, at least not completely. She knows I appreciate her as a friend and that I don't have any romantic feeling for her, so she's taken it upon herself to find me a suitable girlfriend by setting me up on dates with one social debutante after another. I can't seem to get it through her head that I have nothing in common with those girls. She intercepted me after work today to inform me that she has planned another excruciating evening for me this Saturday and, as usual, she won't take no for an answer."

"Just don't go."

Heero's eyes met his friend's. "She's already set it up with the other girl and I don't want to hurt whoever she is by standing her up. It's not her fault that Relena is a selective listener."

Both young men took a couple of long swallows from the cold bottles in their hands. Duo smacked his lips after lowering the glass container once more. "Looks like we both have the same problem, people trying to set us up. But at least we solved the fourth floor fantasy. Heero Yuy is officially off the dating market, for women, that is. At least that's what those two will think."

Heero thoughtfully stared at the label of his bottle. "That worked pretty well, didn't it?"

"Sure did," Duo responded with an amused grin. Then with a wishful sigh he added, "Wish my problem could be solved as easily."

Heero's eyes slowly rose, and in them Duo saw a spark of inspiration in their depths. "Maybe it can be." There was a long pause and a look of hesitation on Heero's face before he asked, "Would you be willing to do something similar to what we did in the hallway, just to throw off all the other well-intentioned match makers?"

Duo studied his friend's face, noting the hopeful expression he wore while waiting for his answer. If Heero meant what he thought he did, it would mean showing everyone he had a preference in gender. Well, he mentally shrugged, hadn't he come to that conclusion earlier that day?

"What about you, Heero? I mean, those two women believe you're gay. Would you be comfortable having other people, especially those we work with, believe that about you?"

Heero shrugged. "I don't see that it matters, since that's my sexual orientation anyway."

Duo's mouth dropped open, slowly closed, then opened again. "I thought you were strictly hetero."

"I never said I was."

"I'm sure you did," Duo answered back, sounding hesitant, his brow crinkled in thought.

"I'm positive I didn't. No one other than Trowa has ever asked me."

"Trowa knew?"

"I thought I just said that."

"Sorry," Duo muttered, feeling both flustered and dumb. How could he not have known something as important as his best friend's sexual orientation? If he had known, maybe things would have been different. The whole conversation had a surreal feeling to it. "I... I think I'm just surprised."

"You're bisexual, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm definitely leaning towards men as my preference. Women are just too..." He paused to come up with the right word and Heero took the opportunity to fill in the blank. "Emotional?"

"Definitely."

"Complicated?"

"Absolutely."

"Confusing?"

"You hit the nail on the head, buddy, along with picky, hormonal, demanding, delusional and high maintenance."

Both young men shared a smirk at their mutual, somewhat over-exaggerated assessment of the opposite sex. Heero took another pull from his bottle of beer then looked his friend squarely in the eye. "Is your aversion to dating based on your always being set up with women?"

"No. You know I've dated both sexes, and don't get me wrong, I like women, how they smell and feel. And Hilde's the best of them; she's a great friend. It's not only that they're so damn hard to figure out, but also the blatant kissing-up, the hero worship thing that gets to me, and of the two sexes the women seem to be the worst. I just want to be liked and maybe one day loved for the person I am, not because I was a gundam pilot or the fact that I'm drop dead gorgeous." The cheeky grin showed his friend that he was kidding.

"Get over yourself," Heero laughed lightly, and Duo joined in. He couldn't help but like that happt sound coming from his friend.

"Seriously," Duo began again, trying to be serious. "I've gotten used to being alone and I kind of like it. Trowa and Quatre can't deal with that fact, and it seems to irritate Wufei to think I'm missing something in life. Don't you think the best part of being single is being able to make my own choices? I eat what I want, go to bed and get up when I like and my time is my own. I don't have to answer to anyone but myself. I'm happy enough with what I've got even though Quatre insists that I just don't know what I'm missing."

Heero nodded, indicating that he understood and agreed. "It's my belief that no one person can make you completely happy, that true happiness has to come first from within yourself."

"Exactly what I've been thinking." The smile on the braided man's face grew as he realized that Heero really did understand him. Yet as he gazed at his friend, a look of calculation flashed in Heero's eyes. It was something he had seen many times before when the other man was in the process of coming up with a solution to a problem. Curious, he asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Going back to what we were talking about, I think we should do something similar at work that we did in the hallway in order to get people to cease in their attempts to set you up on blind dates. As for Relena, I propose that we act as if we're dating, that we're a couple, and word will spread to her quickly enough. Presenting ourselves as a couple, everyone, including our friends, will stop bothering us with these unwanted dates. An added benefit is that we'll have someone to go to social gatherings with and a viable reason for fending off unsolicited sexual advances."

Duo thought his friend's suggestion over. It sounded like a good plan, but he was sure there had to be some drawbacks. "Sounds good, but there's sure to be some unforeseen complications. What if something happens... like you're not happy with me giving you a lap dance in the office?" The teasing glint in his eyes told Heero he wasn't entirely serious.

Pondering the first part of the question for a moment, Heero answered, "We'll talk often and set up contingency plans. Even couples have trouble now and then, so if he had a disagreement it should be considered a part of dating. We'll talk any problems out. Look at Quatre and Trowa. How many times have we had one of them on our sofa after an argument?"

"Plenty of times," Duo answered with a roll of his eyes. Really, Quatre and Trowa seemed made for each other, but there were times when their very different pasts caused friction between them. The other three pilots were relieved that those arguments were becoming more and more infrequent as the two lovers sorted out their differences through couple's therapy instead of relying on their less than experienced friends for advice.

Heero continued. "And if either of us decides the arrangement isn't working any longer, we'll simply call an end to it with no harm done."

"I think we should take it slow at first," Duo said, with ideas churning in his brain as well as a mental, self-preservation yellow flag waving wildly for him to tread cautiously. "If we just show up at work and make out in front of everyone like we did in the hallway, no one is going to believe it's real. I mean, we're good friends and all, but you've never shown any hint that you were interested in dating me, or anyone else for that matter. The guys will think we're pulling some practical joke or something."

"You're right," Heero said, nodding sagely. "Let's start slow. Tomorrow, I'll ask you out in front of the guys. Don't be too quick to say yes or they'll get suspicious after your dramatic exit today."

"Okay. That sounds like a plan. We'll begin to date, appear to be taking it slow and throw all the dating hound dogs off our scent 'cause we'll look and act involved." Duo's broad smile was contagious.

Heero returned it with one of his own and nodded. "I'll be your convenient excuse if you'll be mine." He held his hand out to the other man.

"It's a deal, Heero." Duo took the offered hand and shook it, and then for no real reason, an unexpected feeling of nervousness overcame him. He quickly removed his hand and watched Heero stand, the friendly smile lingering as he said, "I'll throw something together for dinner if you'd like to stay, then we can talk this out a bit more."

And so it was over sukiyaki, rice and sake that the two friends began to form a time line and approach for their upcoming ruse to finally get everyone off their backs about dating. All in all, it was a pleasant evening, which ended around ten p.m. when Duo suddenly realized how it was late and that they had to be at work in the morning.

Heero saw him to the door and with his hand on the doorknob he turned, standing only inches away from the braided man. "So you don't mind kissing me?"

Duo smiled, feeling his earlier nervousness return. "Hell no. You're a great kisser, Heero. I'd ask who taught you, but I think I'm afraid to hear the answer."

A shy smile appeared on the Asian young man's face. He opened the door and let Duo pass. Yet before he could walk away, Heero grasped his arm, effectively stopping him. Surprised, Duo turned just as Heero leaned forward and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "Just in case they're watching," he whispered, pulling back and shifting his eyes to indicate he was referring to his nosey neighbors.

Duo felt flushed from that brief contact, which was ridiculous. That brief kiss from Heero had been anything but intimate, so why did it feel like so much more? Both young men bid each other a friendly good night and parted ways.

The ride home passed by more quickly than usual for Duo, his thoughts focused on his deal with Heero. In the back of his mind, a small worried voice was telling him that this was a big mistake. He'd fallen head over heels for Heero during the war. It had been more than simple crush or lust, though the attraction he felt towards his comrade had been ridiculously overwhelming at times. He'd always admired Heero, respected and craved to be close to him and to have his approval, but he was also totally bewildered by his stoicism and reserve. Heero Yuy was a hard guy to read and understand. Relena had also been a wrench in the works. She had pursued Heero all over Earth and even into space during those turbulent years. He'd come to the conclusion that here was no way he could ever compete with someone like that, a girl who had everything and was as devoted to peace as Heero was. Through two wars and the years following, he'd wisely kept his feelings to himself, seeing that Heero showed no inclination of returning his feelings or that he was sexually inclined towards men. Finally, reason overcame his heart and he'd eventually, reluctantly, given up any pursuit of Heero Yuy other than friendship.

His apartment was dark and chilly when he entered his living room and the lack of warmth didn't help to lighten his doubtful mood. He turned on all the lights, put on some upbeat music and turned his attention to getting ready for bed. While brushing his teeth he once again turned his thoughts to the next day and his and Heero's planned deception, going over all the details, picturing them in his mind, and anticipating the attention Heero would be giving him. It might all be an act, but Duo decided that he was going to soak in all the close contact, every physical touch and kiss that their acting like a couple would bring.

Once in bed he found it difficult to fall asleep. He blamed the lack of drowsiness on his anticipation for the next day, similar to how he felt just before beginning a battle, an infiltration mission or setting off explosives. But what was he so excited about that it robbed him of his sleep? He tried very hard to convince himself that the reason for his excitment was because he and Heero would finally get everyone off his back about dating their sister, cousin or a really "sweet" neighbor by acting like a couple. It was not, he told himself firmly, because the idea of kissing Heero again set his heart to racing and revived a buried hope for something more. Tomorrow, he thought with a sleepy yawn, everything would change, and hopefully for the better.

TBC

Author's note: Thanks to those who reviewed. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Warnings and disclaimer is on the first page of this story.

**The Deal  
By Dyna Dee**

Part 3

As planned the night before, Heero stood from his chair a little after ten and nonchalantly walked over to Agent Maxwell's desk and casually perched himself on the right edge. It wasn't such an unusual occurrence that it attracted the attention of the others, busily working at their own desks, but the moment Heero spoke, using what could only be described as a sultry voice, Duo was sure every ear in the room turned to their conversation.

"I was wondering if you had any plans for the weekend?" was Heero's opening line.

Without looking up from his computer, Duo replied, "I've been telling everyone trying to set me up that I do. Why, you wanna catch a movie or something?"

"I'd like to take you out to dinner and maybe we can see where it goes from there."

The tapping of keys on all the keyboards within the room immediately stopped and the six-man office became unusually quiet. Duo looked up to see Heero gazing down on him, his eyes literally twinkling with humor at the situation. "Ah... you mean like a date?"

"Yes, like a date. You said yourself that only the five of us really understand each other. Since everyone else is unavailable I thought we might see if we're compatible as something other than friends." The room remained as silent as a morgue.

"Can I think about it?"

"No. I want an answer now. Take my offer or leave it." Duo thought Heero was coming on a bit strong, but on the other hand he had to admit that a confident Heero was a damn sexy sight.

"Well hey, who am I to pass up a free meal? Sure. Friday night, after work?"

"I'll pick you up at your place at six thirty." Heero lingered a moment longer, looking incredibly handsome despite the smirk, Duo thought. "Dress up, not down."

What the hell? They hadn't gone over any of this in the pre-determined asking-out conversation. Perhaps Heero was improvising. Raising a questioning eyebrow, Duo nodded then grinned. "Gotcha. Get all spiffed up and be ready by six thirty." He winked at his friend. "It's a date."

The smile Heero gave him in return as he stood up from his somewhat precarious place on the desk's edge was warm and genuine, and it left Duo wondering if he had gooey hot fudge flowing through his veins instead of the usual substance. The room remained absolutely still as Heero calmly made his way back to his own desk, ignoring the five pairs of eyes following his every move. Duo barely managed to drag his gaze from Heero's retreating form to glance at his other two friends. Judging from their expressions, both Wufei and Trowa were astounded by Heero's behavior, and when their attention finally turned to him, he simply smiled at them, wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and chuckled as he returned his attention back to his computer, pleased with how their performance had gone. Stage one completed, he thought rather smugly to himself.

Quatre called fifteen minutes later to confirm the information he'd received from Trowa regarding Heero having asked him for a date and his accepting. Word was passing quickly indeed. All in all, Duo was very satisfied with his and Heero's pact.

With three and a half days to pass until Friday's date, Heero and Duo had discussed ahead of time the many opportunities during the day to fuel the gossip mill that always circulated in the break room. As planned, whenever Duo stood to announce he was taking a break, Heero rose from his desk to join him. When one of them had to be out of the office on a call, the other man was the first to greet him when he got back. They stood closer to each other than usual and often whispered into each other's ear. Even though they were merely congratulating each other on the apparent success of their ruse, it was pretty clear by the expression on the faces of their co-workers that they believed some flirting or lover's secret was being passed back and forth. Tongues were wagging, eyebrows were rising and the office rumor mill was getting a vigorous workout. To Duo's delight the matchmaking attempts ground to a halt as did the overt flirting, at least by those who worked in the same building.

Friday finally came, as did the end of another work day. Duo was in the process of clearing his desk for the weekend, aware that he was being observed on the sly by four others. Heero, he noted, was also in the process of preparing to leave for the day.

"So where are you going to dinner?" Wufei asked, directing his question to Duo.

"I don't know. Thought I'd leave it up to Heero, since he's the one who asked me out and the fact that he's paying."

All heads in the room turned to the dark-haired Preventer in question. Heero glanced up as he closed his laptop. "The Oasis," he answered in his usual straight-forward manner while standing and grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.

The two agents, who were more or less tolerated in the room by the four former gundam pilots, exchanged a surprised look with each other. Trowa asked the question that was obviously on their minds. "How did you manage that?" He knew from his own personal experience that The Oasis was a very popular, 5-star restaurant, an hour's drive from the city. It was set in the country where the lush green gardens that surrounded the area gave the establishment its name. It was an oasis, from the world in general, and it's private dining catered to couples, especially for those in love. The well-known establishment was very exclusive and seriously expensive. He recalled his visit there with Quatre very well. The guests were given a very private, romantic room in which to eat their meal. Sweethearts, lovers and newlyweds enjoyed the ambiance and discrete service, though they had to make their reservations several months in advance.

"Made a few calls, pulled some strings."

"That's a bit over the top for a first date isn't it?" Wufei asked, frowning his concern as he looked from a confident Yuy to a surprised Maxwell.

"I just want to show Duo how serious I am about this date. A first date with someone you care about should be memorable. Don't you agree?"

"The Oasis is obscenely expensive," Trowa cut in, looking as equally concerned as Wufei. "Quatre took me there and wouldn't let me see the bill, so I know it was outrageous. Are you sure you can afford such a luxury?"

Heero slowly turned his attention from Trowa to gaze across the room at Duo, meeting his questioning eyes. He smiled at the braided man and said, "Duo's worth it." He walked towards the door, pausing briefly at the braided man's desk to say, "See you in an hour."

Duo blinked, astounded by Heero's words and flustered by the fluttering in his stomach. "Ah... yeah. In an hour, dress nice."

Heero chuckled as he walked to the door and left the room, leaving everyone in the room to wonder at the sudden and unexpected change in the usually more reserved man.

"I think he's serious about you, Duo," Trowa said thoughtfully. "Are you all right with that?"

Duo suddenly remembered that he was supposed to act cool and cautious so that he wouldn't inadvertently cause his friend to become suspicious. He and Heero were running a scam here, he firmly reminded himself, with the only stated outcome being their freedom from harassment. Well, that was what they had mutually agreed to anyway. Then why was his heart beating so fast and his stomach doing flip-flops? Was it because of the way Heero smiled at him and made him feel when he declared he was worth so much? Maybe he was just nervous with anticipation for the night to come? Shaking himself mentally, he recalled that Trowa had asked him a question. "Um... yeah. I guess I'm okay with it," he answered as vaguely as possible. "It's just a little weird to see Heero thinking of anyone like that, especially me."

"Well other than the fact that Heero seemed somewhat asexual, it really isn't so surprising," Wufei said, standing by his own desk and putting his Preventer jacket on. "You and Yuy have always had some odd sort of connection. He knows your moods better than anyone, and you can read him when no one else can."

Duo found himself staring at his Chinese friend with a stupefied expression. Wufei was absolutely right. He and Heero always did have an understanding of each other, and it went further than just physical attraction. Sure, he'd had a crush on Wing's pilot during the war, but so did Trowa and Quatre, who admitted to that infatuation long after the fact, on a night after they'd all had a little bit too much to spiked punch. Yet in all the time he'd known Heero, the other man had never shown any indication that he even knew what a crush was, despite how obvious the three of them must have been. When Relena basically stalked him all over the planet and into space, Heero reacted by threatening to kill her. He did rescue her though, Duo recalled. Back then, it seemed to him that Heero's actions were merely the perfect soldier's twisted way of showing affection. Yet now that he thought about it, Heero had shown that same kind of "affection" to him several times, pointing a gun at him, threatening his life, getting him captured as well as rescuing and protecting him. A small smile grew on his face, thinking that maybe Heero had liked him back then, at least as much as he had liked Relena.

Grabbing his own coat and jumping to his feet, Duo rushed to the door, calling over his shoulder, "See you guys on Monday."

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do," Wufei called out after him, then just as quickly amended, "Change that to what_ I_ wouldn't do."

It wasn't until after he'd had his shower, dressed and was pulling his belt through the loops that Duo stopped in his tracks, wondering if he was really supposed to be getting dressed. After all, he and Heero had staged the asking of the date and the not-so-subtle flirting for when they had an audience, knowing it would spread the word that something was going on between them. It appeared their ruse was a huge success because there had been no attempts by friends or co-workers to set him up on any dates since then. But did Heero really intend for them to go out tonight?

Looking down at the clothes he'd just put on, he contemplated the blue-gray, button-up dress shirt tucked into black pleated slacks, wondering if he'd misunderstood Heero's intention. Was he actually taking him out on a date, or had it just been merely talk? Just because Heero had asked him out in front of their co-workers, announcing that they were going out and that he'd be over at 6:30 to take him to the obscenely expensive establishment, didn't mean he'd actually meant it. They'd never discussed the specifics about where Heero would ask him to go on their "first" date, so he was as surprised as the others by Heero's outrageous suggestion. Of course, everyone within a two-hundred mile radius knew of The Oasis, but their knowledge of it had come by printed articles or word of mouth, for very few people actually got to go there, or could afford to.

Glancing at the clock on his dresser, he realized he had only five minutes to decide whether or not Heero was expecting him to be dressed for a date or if he should put on his more casual clothing and be prepared to spend the evening just hanging out with him, that is_ if _he showed up on his doorstep simply expecting to plan out how they were going to proceed with their plan come Monday morning. Maybe Heero wasn't coming at all, Duo thought, frowning. He really should have tried to work out more of these details with him beforehand. Setting up a date as a ruse was different than actually going out together. Saying they were going to The Oasis did not mean they were actually going. He found himself in a quandary and not quite sure how to handle it.

He sat on the edge of his bed and for the next few moments, considered what he should do. If Heero came to the door wearing casual clothes, it would be pretty damn embarrassing to greet him all dressed up, looking like he really was expecting to go on the romantic date . On the other hand, if he dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and Heero showed up in his finest, that would be equally awkward. His deliberations came to a sudden end when the doorbell rang. At least the question as to whether or not Heero was going to show up had been answered.Jumping to his feet, Duo ignored the buttons of his shirt as he peeled the garment over his head and threw it on the bed. He then whipped off his pants, giving them the same careless treatment. This was his solution to the what-to-wear dilemma. He rushed to the door and threw it open, clad only in his T-shirt, boxers and one sock. Shockingly, the person on the other side of the door was not the one he'd been expecting.

Flushed with embarrassment, the braided man quickly jumped to hide himself behind the open door. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fielding. Can I help you with something?"

The silver-haired, plump and older woman who was his neighbor from several doors down, stood in front of his door with a plate of cookies in her hands and wearing an amused smile on her face. "Evening, Duo," she began with a slight snicker. "I baked these cookies this afternoon for my book club and had so many to spare that I wondered if you could take them off my hands. My cholesterol level isn't good enough that I can indulge myself any longer, so you will truly be doing me a favor if you would accept these and enjoy them."

Duo looked down at the chocolate chip cookies. They looked picture perfect and his mouth began to water, despite his embarrassment. "Sure." He reached for the plate, his face still flushed. "Thank you. They're my favorite."

"You're welcome," the woman replied, her aging eyes quickly taking in his scant attire and comely legs as the young man moved forward from his protection to take the plate. "Going out tonight?"

"Yes he is," a deep, amused voice answered from behind the elderly woman. Both she and Duo turned to see Heero coming to a stop just to their left. The blue-eyed man smiled and gave a nod of his head to the both of them, his eyes shining humorously for Duo's current predicament.

Duo quickly made the introductions. "Ah, Heero, this is Mrs. Fielding, my neighbor in..."

"Apartment 402," the woman supplied.

"It's nice to meet you," Heero said with formal yet friendly politeness, holding his hand out to the elderly woman.

"It's my pleasure," the woman said, shaking hands with him briefly, then stepping back with a flush on her otherwise pale face. She dragged her eyes away from the newcomer and turned her attention back to her braided neighbor, a look of understanding shining in her eyes. She leaned towards Duo and whispered, "I better go so you can finish dressing. Have a good time and enjoy the cookies."

Duo assured her that he would, thanked her again and bid the older woman a good night. As she retreated back to her apartment, he reached out and pulled Heero through the doorway, taking note that the other man was handsomely dressed in clothing that definitely didn't look like he wanted to hang around the apartment talking.

"So it seems we both have female admirers tempting us with food." Heero said with a grin.

Balancing the plate of cookies, Duo snorted. "Yeah right. She's nothing like your dinner leaches. She's just a nice old lady."

"Sure she is. That's why she was checking you out."

Blue-violet eyes widened. "She was not!"

Heero took the plate of goodies and set them on the nearest table in the living room. "She was, and it was easy to see that she liked what she saw."

"Eww!" Duo's nose wrinkled up with distaste and a repugnant look crossed his face. "That's just... eww."

This time Heero laughed. "Should I have kissed you in front of her, staked my claim so that she wouldn't offer you cookies any longer?"

Duo slipped his hand under the plastic wrap and snagged a cookie. After one bite he shook his head and answered with chocolate melting on his teeth, "No way. I can take a little ogling by someone older than dirt if she'll keep supplying me with goodies like this."

Heero abruptly grabbed the other man's hand and took a bite of the partially eaten cookie. Chewing the moist goodness he said, "Hum... these are good, but just remember, Duo," he continued, trying his best to look serious. "Women believe the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Duo looked at Heero, trying to discern if he was being serious. "You are so full of shit, Yuy." They both laughed.

Realizing that Heero was fully dressed and he wasn't, Duo scratched a spot on top of his head and asked while eyeing Heero's chest, "Do I have to wear a tie?"

"No," Heero said with an easy grin. "But I'm afraid pants, shirt and shoes are not optional. His eyes moved up and down Duo's scantily-clad body with a look of appreciation in them.

"It'll only take me a minute, promise." Duo said as he handed Heero the rest of the partially eaten cookie and left his guest to run back to his room. As expected, Heero's mode of dress told him how their night was going to progress. They were indeed going out on a date, and it really didn't matter to him if they were going to The Oasis or not. His heart was doing something similar to flamenco dancing in his chest at the moment, so it was with unsteady hands that he hastily threw his clothes back on and made sure he was neatly tucked, zipped and buttoned properly before heading back out to the living room where he found Heero studying the items on the shelves of his entertainment unit. The other man's eyes were focused on a picture of all the pilots taken just after the first war. It was a happy moment that had been captured, with five young faces sporting a variety of smiles after they'd all come to the realization that they'd actually survived the war.

"I think this is my favorite picture of the five of us," Heero said without turning at Duo's approach.

Duo studied the photo along with his friend. Starting on the right of the photo, was Quatre, standing and leaning slightly against Trowa, his usual bright smile was slightly diminished by the lingering pain in his side from the wound he'd gotten aboard Libra. Trowa looked... content, with his hand resting possessively on the blond boy's shoulder. Next to them stood Wufei, whose smile was more reserved back then, but it was enough of one to show a small glimpse of his white, straight teeth. Duo's own smile in the picture was goofy, or so he thought. It seemed overly large in comparison to the others, looking like it was about to split his face in half. He had his right arm draped over Heero's shoulder and appeared as if he hadn't a care in the world, which happened to be in opposition to how he'd really felt inside. He remembered quite he'd felt a lot of anxiety about his uncertain future and fearing that he was about to lose the fellowship he'd shared with the other four pilots.

His focus returned to the image of Heero, and he knew that it was the other man's expression that made this picture his favorite also. Sure, he'd seen his close friend smile and laugh plenty of times after the war, but seeing any kind of levity during the war had been a very rare occurrence. The serious and dedicated boy from L-1 had arrived on Earth in Wing and considered himself a weapon, disposable once his goal or purpose was achieved. Thankfully, that mind set changed after the first war and after Heero had offered his life for the purpose of saving the planet. Systematically, the former gundam pilot began to retrain himself towards living a more normal life. That slight, enigmatic smile that graced Heero's handsome and youthful face in the picture was a hint of the changes that would come over the next few years.

"Ready to go?" Heero asked, and it surprised Duo just how close the two of them were standing. This close he could see the deep blue of Heero's eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen on a man or woman.

"Sure. Are we really going to The Oasis?"

Heero nodded. "I made reservations in case the guys checked the place to verify the information we'd given them."

"They'd do that, wouldn't they?"

"I wouldn't put it past them to shadow us tonight, just to make sure we weren't trying to put one over on them. Now that I think about it, I believe I spotted Wufei's car outside my apartment building."

Duo snorted. "He never was the most adept at surveillance. But if he's out there watching, I'll bet my last dollar that the others are too. If Trowa's in on it, we won't be aware of it. I guess we'll just have to put on a good performance, just in case," he said, then quickly added; "And look like we're actually having a great first date."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Would it be so difficult to actually enjoy yourself while spending time with me?"

"Of course not!" Duo quickly shot back, seeing he had inadvertently offended his friend. He threw his arm over Heero's shoulder. "I've always enjoyed your company, Heero. I was just thinking that we'll have to act like we're attracted to each other, not just acting like good friends out for a night on the town together."

"Think you can manage that?" There was definitely a challenge issued in Heero's tone of voice and glint in his eyes.

"Can you?" Duo's grin was just as challenging

A knowing smiled graced Heero's finely shaped lips. "Just watch me."

A shiver rippled up and down Duo's spine and he found it hard to swallow. He couldn't help but wonder just what he'd gotten himself into.

Heero seemed to sense his reaction and chuckled before putting his arm around Duo's waist and leading him towards the door. "We better get going. We've got an eight o'clock reservation and it's a long drive out to the restaurant."

TBC

Thanks again for reviews and encouragement. What fun it is to write fanfiction! Such nice people send me lovely comments. You're great, everyone of you.


	4. Chapter 4

The Deal  
Part 4

The long drive from the inner city into the countryside passed pleasantly enough for the two men. Heero asked Duo to select the music on the radio and a magnetic backgammon board, set on the console between the two bucket seats, provided the means for a bit of friendly competition while Heero split his attention between the road and winning one of the two games they completed during the hour-long drive.

As the car pulled up to the front entrance of The Oasis, both young men commented on the building's facade and surrounding landscaping, a believable replica of a small Middle Eastern palace. "See anyone following?" Duo asked, turning in his white leather seat to look out the back window of Heero's silver and wonderfully sleek sports car.

"It's hard to tell," the other man answered, his eyes glancing up to the rear view mirror. "If Trowa's behind the wheel there's not even a remote chance that we'll spot them. He tends to drive with his lights off when he's tailing someone."

Duo turned back around and smiled. "Well, whether they're watching us or not, I'm gonna make the most of this. I probably won't ever get the chance to come here again." His smile slowly faded as another thought came to him. "Are you sure you can afford this? I mean, I've got some money in my savings account so I can help pay for tonight if you want."

Heero kept his eye on the approaching valet. "It's not a problem, Duo. I've got some money stashed away." He turned his head and gave his companion a knowing look as he added, "From the war."

"Ah." Duo understood. They'd all pilfered large sums of money from the Alliance and then OZ during the war, well, all except Quatre. Any cash he'd had left in the banks in Geneva he'd given to the War Victim's Fund.

The valet opened the driver's door in order to speak with Heero about parking his car. Duo climbed out on the passenger side and a shiver of excitement rippled through him as his gazed followed the white marble stairs that led to a torch-lit entry. If this place lived up to even half its reputation, he thought with a growing smile, then tonight was gonna be a blast.

A gentle touch to his elbow alerted him to the fact that Heero was by his side, and together they moved forward, climbing the white stone stairs to the entry. Duo couldn't help but notice the warm and pleasant sensation that began to radiate from the point where Heero's hand lingered on his arm. He chanced a glance at the other man only to be met by Heero's gaze. He smiled, a bit nervously, but that nervousness was eased when the other man smiled back.

The two men were greeted cordially at the restaurant's entrance by a young and attractive woman wearing a knee-length, white evening dress with her dark hair twisted into a fancy roll at the back of her head. She identified herself as Leah, their hostess. She verified Heero's reservation then led them through the grand entry, out the back doors and down a torch-lit path that meandered through a lush garden to one of several private garden houses.

The French doors facing the center of the garden were open, revealing a room in which the walls were painted a soft yellow and was bare of traditional furniture. It was easy to see that the room's interior had been designed to mimic a desert nomad's dwelling, with long and sheer blue curtains flowing down from a frame on the ceiling, creating a open tent-like enclosure around an area of the floor that was liberally dotted with pillows. Stepping through the open doors, Duo's eyes went to his left, to the welcoming fire that blazed gently in a fireplace fashioned from stone. No further than five feet from the fireplace was a large woven rug with intricate designs woven from threads of blue, green, yellow and tan. The pillows, large and small and in colors complimenting the rug and walls, encircled the center of the rug, creating an intimate sitting space.

As she directed them between the nearest curtain opening, their polite hostess invited them to sit down and make themselves comfortable. Duo smiled at his companion and eased himself down as smoothly as possible onto a large blue pillow, then watched as Heero sat facing him. The hostess then produced a menu and withdrew from the room with a promise to return within five minutes with their server and coffee.

Duo's first thought after gazing over the menu was that this place had to be as expensive as Trowa said it was. He came to that conclusion by the fact that there weren't any prices listed next to the evening's selection of food. His consternation grew as he scanned through the offered dishes, finding himself at a loss and not sure what to choose. He'd always been a plain eater, preferring simple food. From the list of unfamiliar and foreign names of the dishes offered, he knew that he was way out of his league, dining wise.

"Have you decided?" Heero asked, a small smile gracing his lips.

Duo thought the other man's blue eyes looked an even deeper shade of their normal arresting color that night. How easy it would be to get lost in those eyes, he thought dreamily. He abruptly shook himself out of his woolgathering, hoping the other man hadn't noticed his momentarily lapse. Quickly glancing back at the menu, he felt embarrassed by his lack of knowledge about fancy places like this and social graces in general. He shifted his eyes from the menu to his handsome friend and answered in a hushed voice, "I'm not sure what to order. What are you going to have?"

"Kharuf mahshi."

"Is it good?"

"Yes."

"Is it some kind of disgusting fish?" His nose wrinkled with distaste at the idea of seafood, definitely not his kind of grub.

"No, it's lamb."

"Then I'll have the same." That was easy enough, Duo thought. He'd been kind of afraid it meant fried squid or camel tongue. He'd seen his Japanese and Chinese friends eat some pretty weird things during the time he'd spent with them. The dried octopus, oysters and even caviar were just a bit more than he could handle. He'd eat tough beef jerky anytime over the fishy things Heero bought in cellophane packets at the Asian grocery store. To each his own, he thought, even though a feeling of revulsion made his stomach clench at the very thought of his date's idea of a snack.

Their hostess returned as promised with small cups of Arabic coffee which she called quhwah 'Arabryah. Duo's nose wrinkled at the strong, unsweetened brew, so unlike the coffee he doctored for himself each morning. There was a different taste to it that lingered on his tongue, a spice that had been added. "It's cardamon," Heero answered when Duo asked what it was. He was glad when a cup of tea was brought to them to wash the taste out of his mouth. The waitress, having arrived with the hostess with the tea, stepped forward to take their selections and Heero promptly ordered for the both of them.

During the twenty minutes they spent between the order being given and the arrival of their food, the two friends relaxed enough to rearrange the pillows so that they were reclining perpendicular to the fireplace, side by side and talking about inconsequential things. As their conversation ebbed, Duo realized there was music coming from hidden speakers, and playing so softly that he hadn't heard it before. He also noticed the moment Heero's eyes suddenly shifted towards the open French doors that faced out into the dimly lit garden. With a tone of warning in his voice, the other man warned, "Don't look, but I think I just saw a flash of blond hair. I think Quatre might be out in the bushes spying on us."

Duo had to fight the urge to turn around and see that spectacle for himself. The idea of Quatre Winner, one of the richest men on the planet, was out in the bushes spying on them was ridiculous. But knowing the blond as well as he did, Duo wouldn't put it past his sneaky friend to do the unexpected. "That little weasel," he whispered back. "You'd think he and Trowa could find something better to do on a Friday night."

With a glimmer of something wicked in his eyes, Heero said, "So now that we have their attention, do you want to make sure they'll believe us when we tell them Monday morning that we had a great time tonight?"

Duo couldn't believe that Heero's suggestion had gone quick as a flash from his ears straight down to his crotch. "Are you sure they're out there?" he asked, keeping his voice down lest they be heard. He then nervously licked his lips.

Heero shifted away from his pillows, bringing himself closer to Duo's face and body. The braided man could feel the heat radiating off his friend as their faces came within mere inches from each other. That fact that Heero didn't answer his question completely had escaped him when the other man said in a husky voice, "Let's give them a show they'll never forget," and then captured the braided man's mouth with a heated kiss.

Duo fell quickly under Heero's spell. The other man's lips were nothing short of magic, he decided. Where the hell Heero, his friend, top Preventer agent and former teenage terrorist, learn to kiss in such a sensually gentle and thorough manner? He never would have guessed the reserved and stoic man to be a world-class kisser. Those lips, moving so expertly over his own, ignited a passion within him that he didn't know he was capable of feeling. Allowing himself be carried away by the moment, he enthusiastically returned Heero's kiss. The only other contact besides their lips was Heero's right hand, his fingers wending their way into his hair, just above his braid. For himself, he was initially leery about touching Heero, fearing that once he put his hands on that strong and perfect body he might not be able to stop before he went too far. Perhaps sliding his upper leg over to rest on top of Heero's thigh wouldn't hurt. No, it didn't hurt at all, in fact, it felt utterly fantastic. Duo heard himself moan and realized his body was experiencing a number of very pleasant sensations. It felt as if Heero was making love to all of him by this single, spectacular act of kissing. Wow!, he mentally exclaimed as his tongue entwined with Heero's, engaging in a sensually delightful dance. He'd never experience such a powerful kiss before, and it definitely wasn't for a lack of trying. Was this kiss so powerful because it was Heero kissing him? Or was it some physical chemistry signaling that this was the person he had been searching for? Maybe it was the room, the romantic ambiance and idea that someone was watching them kiss that was the turn on? He dismissed the last idea as soon as it had come to mind, but to be honest, he was wary of the other reasons being true. Something inside of him knew that the reason this kiss meant so much more than any others he had before was because of this particular man. Was Heero the one? He supposed what it really came down to was knowing whether or not Heero felt that way about him. Was he the "one" for Heero? He then reluctantly recalled that this kiss, as toe-curling wonderful as it was, was all about the deal and putting on a show for their nosey friends. Shit, if he wasn't careful, he was going to end up at the end of this charade with his own heart irreparably broken.

The gentle clearing of a throat from the vicinity of the doorway abruptly ended the moment of bliss and self questioning, and both young men jumped apart, untangling their limbs from each other as they quickly moved to sit up and face the server. Duo could feel his face flushing with embarrassment at having been caught by a stranger kissing his best friend and thoroughly enjoying the experience. He did his best to mask his embarrassment by concentrating on the several platters of food being placed before them. Their waitress, dressed in an elegant pantsuit of black, began explaining the dishes that were set on a woven mat between them, appearing unaffected by witnessing two men kissing rather intimately. The plate of fresh sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, cooked pumpkin, apricots and sliced melon didn't need to be explained, but the serving dish with the main course did. "Kharuf mashi is lamb stuffed with rice, nuts and raisins," she explained. The outside skin was rubbed with a paste of onion, crushed cinnamon, cloves and cardamon and browned on all sides in bubbling sawn, or rather, goat butter, before roasting. "Aria," she pointed to the flat bread on another plate and next to a small bowl filled with something golden, "is the traditional Arabic bread and is delicious dipped in honey. Is there anything else you require? Perhaps some wine with your dinner," the young woman asked politely and with a smile.

"Can I have a cola?" Duo asked.

The waitress's smile grew. "Of course."

"Make that two," Heero added, and the young woman promptly disappeared.

Heero took up his knife and fork and began to cut into his meat. Duo decided to eat some of the prepared fruit first, then sampled some bread and honey. So far so good, he thought as he eyed the plate of meat and rice.

The carbonated drinks were delivered and the two men were left alone again to enjoy their meal. Duo took his time tasting each of the foods included in the feast before them. While eating, he and Heero discussed the flavor, texture and enjoyment of each dish while surreptitiously casting glances at each other. Duo had a hard time dragging his eyes away from Heero's moist and perfectly shaped lips. He had really, really enjoyed their kissing. He was just glad that Heero hadn't pressed their bodies closer together or he'd have discovered just how much pleasure he had gotten from exploring the Japanese man's mouth. With the way his body responded to Heero's kiss, he didn't even want to think about how it would react to even more intimate touches from the other man. _Damn, I'm pathetic_, he thought to himself. His old war-time crush on Heero was back again and in full force after sharing a couple of kisses. Well, not just any old kiss, he admitted to himself, but wonderful, spectacular kisses. Now that he knew Heero better than he had back when they were gundam pilots, there was little doubt in his mind that he was setting himself up for a hard fall once their deal was over and Heero went on his merry way.

"Something wrong with your food?" Heero asked, noticing his companion had paused in his eating, his eyes fixed on his food and appearing to be deep in thought.

Duo's head jerked up. "Ah..., no. Just thinking."

"Don't strain yourself. The night's still early."

Duo couldn't help grinning at Heero's teasing, earning him a brighter smile in return. Good lord... he was actually wishing for the impossible to happen, that Heero would fall madly and deeply in love with him. If only wishes came true, he thought with an accompanying, dejected sigh.

After the meal had been cleared away, more coffee was served, along with a plate of plump delicious dates and a bowl of warm butter. Heero picked up the first date, dipped it into the golden butter, then presented it to Duo's lips. "In case they're still watching," he explained with a wink.

Duo leaned forward and opened his mouth to accept the sweet date, never losing contact with the blue, fathomless depths of Heero's eyes as he bit off the tip and chewed the moist delicacy. "Umm. Good." He then reciprocated in kind by selecting a large date from off the plate and followed the other man's example bu dipping it into butter. Bringing the fruit up to Heero's mouth, he put the tip of it against Asian man's smiling mouth and became mesmerized by those two perfect and tantalizing lips as they opened and then wrapped themselves around the offered end of the buttered date. To his surprise Heero didn't bite down on the treat. Instead, he loosely held the tip of the date in his mouth while gently sucking the butter off. All the while his eyes remained fixed on the man feeding him.

_Holy shit_. Duo shifted, suddenly very warm and very much affected by Heero's playing with his food. Finally, the other man took a bite and Duo's hand dropped to his side, silently congratulating himself for not moving to adjust the front of his trousers. The half eaten date, still held between Heero's fingers, was dipped once again into the melted butter before it was brought once more towards Duo's mouth, dripping butter along the way. Without a thought to what he was doing, Duo leaned forward and opened his mouth to accept the offered treat, taking it all in and Heero's fingers as well. He didn't bite down, but let his tongue move teasingly over those two fingertips. If Heero wanted to play, he would show him he was no wallflower. When he finally eased back, taking the rest of the fruit into his mouth, Heero slowly removed his fingers. He was pleased to see the other man's Adam's apple bob, and Heero was experience the same discomfort he was.

Moving even closer, Heero appeared as if he was about to kiss him again, but he surprised Duo once more, trumping his last move when he began licking at the corners of his mouth. "Butter," the other man explained simply with a hum of pleasure. Duo couldn't help the slight moan that escaped him and his ability to think or talk was diminished considerably. He slowly chewed the piece of date in his mouth as Heero finished licking the butter from around his mouth with his tongue. After swallowing the last bit of fruit, the other man reclaimed his lips in a kiss that promised to send him over the edge of reason.

To Duo's regret, Heero pulled away a few moments later, an apologetic look on his handsome face. He didn't say anything, but his warm hand gently cupped his cheek and stroked the tender flesh under his fingertips. Duo resisted the urge to turn his head and kiss Heero's palm, sharply reminding himself that this was all for show. This wasn't real, he firmly reminded himself, even though it felt very much like the real thing. He mentally knocked his head against something called common sense. With a sinking heart he realized he was a goner, hook, line and sinker, having fallen for his dark-haired, blue-eyed, hot and sensual friend, despite the fact that Heero was kissing him only because their friends were probably spying on them at that very moment. Not only was Heero a great kisser, but he was an accomplished actor as well, portraying the image of a man following his heart while in reality he was merely putting on a show.

The hand on his face dropped away and Heero sat back, putting some distance between them. "Are you ready to go home? It's getting rather late."

"Yeah," Duo replied, looking at his watch to see that two hours had passed from the time of their arrival and trying not to show that his heart was already beginning to ache. He moved to stand up, hoping the diminishing woody, slightly tenting the front of his pleated black trousers, wasn't too noticeable.

As if on cue, the waitress made an appearance and quickly took Heero's credit card. After she received his signature for payment and tip, the two men left the room that would always remain a part of the fond memory locked in Duo's mind forever. As they passed through the dark garden, Duo gave several searching glances at the foliage, looking for a tattle-tale blond, brunet or ebony-haired head. Their spying friends must have taken off when the dessert was presented, reducing the chances of being caught, he thought. With Heero's hand at the small of his back, he didn't doubt that they gave the appearance of being a happy couple as they left the beautiful torch-lit gardens and returned to the main entrance, where they waited for only a few moments before the silver sports car was brought to them.

The ride home was quiet and thoughtful on the part of both young men, and remained so until the moment Heero left Duo at his front door with a fleeting kiss on his cheek. As he closed the door behind him, Duo had to wonder if anything would ever be the same between himself and Heero again. His wondering eventually turned to worry when he didn't hear from his friend for the remainder of the long weekend.

TBC

Again, thanks to all who reviewed. Your comments help to keep me motivated to scrape up some free time each week in order to continue writing.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Deal  
By Dyna Dee  
Part 5**

The pleasant weekend weather gave way to springtime rain, which happened to be the cause of the sodden state of the braided Preventer's jacket, his frizzy hair and ruined newspaper. If that combination wasn't enough to make the young man a tad cranky on a Monday morning, the lingering feelings of uncertainty, due to Heero's lack of communication over the long weekend, had him dragging his feet as he approached his office. He paused for a moment with his hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath in an effort to prepare himself for whatever might come his way once he stepped through that door. Shaking off the unpleasant mood, he straightened his back, squared his shoulders and managed a smile as entered the shared room where he immediately received and returned greetings from the other agents. Heero was absent from his desk, Duo noted, and four heads remained turned to his direction, their curious eyes following him as he made his way to his desk where he hung his wet and slightly dripping jacket on the back of his chair to dry. Not ten seconds passed before Wufei was beside him, bending over in a conspiratorial manner to whisper, "So, how was it?"

Duo had pretty much anticipated one of his two friends present to act quickly, inquiring about how Friday night had gone, though he was slightly surprised they hadn't called him at home earlier to sate their curiosity. Plastering a smile on his face, he winked at the Chinese agent. "The date? It was fantastic, Wu. The Oasis certainly lived up to its reputation. It's an over-the-top romantic joint. You should try it sometime."

Wufei nodded sagely, as if he was seriously contemplating the merits of visiting the high-priced establishment. He then leaned in closer and in a low voice asked, "I meant, how did things go with Yuy?"

Duo did his best to look affronted. "You can't possibly think I'm the kind of guy to kiss and tell do you?"

Wufei snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. I distinctly recall you telling me about certain admirable and abundant assets belonging to someone named Babette. Then there was a well-endowed Jonathan and a talented, between-the-sheets vixen called Shanti, an ambidextrous, double jointed ..."

"All right," Duo hissed sharply, blushing with embarrassment and stopping Wufei from going any further. Detective work, he decided, had greatly contributed in turning the formerly reserved Chinese teen into a guy who found great satisfaction in knowing everything about everybody. At least Wufei wasn't a gossiper, out of their selective group that is. "Maybe I haven't been all that discrete," Duo admitted with a frown, "but I can learn from my mistakes, right?"

"Of course you can," Wufei agreed a moment before he leaned closer and whispered, "But not until you tell me everything that happened Friday night, from the time Yuy picked you up and dropped you off at home, that is, if you actually made it home. Come on, give me some details."

Duo inwardly growled at the ebony-haired agent. Okay, maybe he'd embellished a bit too much about some of his past, somewhat interesting dates. He was embarrassed now by how much he'd thrown himself into the dating scene, trying his damn best to find that _something_ he'd never had before. And, after all, he had a reputation to live up to. Despite his former lack of discretion he felt reluctant about speaking of the few intimate moments he and Heero had shared. Talking about his date with Heero to Wufei, how the Japanese man eating a buttered fig from his fingertips had curled his toes in an oh-so wonderful way and how his kisses had almost melted his insides, would somehow soil the memory of those rare and wonderful moments. Yet recognizing the spark of determination in the ebony-haired man's eyes Duo knew it was going to be difficult to keep his secrets to himself. It was known amongst their friends that Wufei could be as tenacious as he was when they really wanted something; and right now the Chinese man wanted answers. There was only one possible way to divert Wufei's attention from the topic at hand, and that would be a major distraction.

Without taking his eyes off of his nosey friend, Duo held up one finger, a signal for Wufei to hold on a moment. He then removed the cell phone from his belt, flipped it open and hit a speed-dial number. Giving his friend a sly grin, he waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up the call.

"Director Une speaking," the feminine voice announced in his ear.

"This is Agent Maxwell," the braided man stated clearly, his eyes monitoring Wufei's wary expression. "Agent Chang is currently in the process of harassing me for information of a personal nature. I believe he needs something to do that will keep him better occupied, otherwise I'm going to have to file harassment charges against him and this organization to the proper authorities."

A deep, weary sigh came from Director Une even as Wufei reached for the cell phone and the two young agents began to wrestle for its possession. Duo managed to bat Wufei 's hands away with his right flailing arm while twisting and turning in his chair in an effort to keep the phone planted against his left ear. After a long pause his boss answered in a bored fashion, "We are the proper authorities, Agent Maxwell, and it seems to me you've lodged one complaint or another every week for the past three months against Agents Chang, Barton or Yuy. Perhaps it is you who needs to be kept 'better occupied'."

"I'll take that into consideration after I receive a prompt response to my complaint."

"Very well." Another deep sigh was heard and Duo was pretty sure the hard-working director of the Preventers, who often complained about being more of a babysitter to the four former gundam pilots than an administrative officer, needed a long vacation. "Put Chang on the phone."

With an ingratiatingly sweet smile, Duo handed his cell phone to the frowning busy-body.

"Agent Chang here," Wufei said into the phone piece, having guessed who was on the other side of the call. Duo almost burst out laughing at the immediate change in the other man's expression. Leaning on the edge of his desk, Wufie promptly snapped to attention and looked as though he was either going to salute a superior officer or spontaneously burst from embarrassment.

"Yes, Ma'am," Wufei said stiffly before turning an evil eye to the braided man. "I understand. Right away. Good day."

After closing the phone with more force than necessary, Wufei threw it at his friend. Duo deftly caught the flying object with his left hand, just before it made impact with his head. With a flushed face the Chinese agent turned and briskly walked back to his desk.

Duo grinned wickedly as he clipped his phone back onto his belt, feeling oddly satisfied. Mission accomplished. He mentally patted himself on the back at having diverted Wufei from his inquisition regarding Friday night. Oh, he knew his Chinese friend wasn't really in any trouble, nor was Wufei truly angry, just embarrassed. By now Une knew the four of them well enough that she'd learned when to take them seriously and when not to. Getting Chang flustered was just what he'd needed to get himself out of his grumpy mood. With a gratifying sigh, he turned on his computer and commenced another day of work.

It was always easy for Duo to lose himself in an investigation, and the one he'd been piecing together was definitely challenging. An arms, drug and information ring had been plaguing the smaller European countries who were valiantly trying to thwart that organization's attempts to undermine their governments. Close to a dozen well-planned bombings, aimed at civilian businesses such as movie theaters, dance clubs and civic buildings, had already been successfully carried out. The purpose of the attacks appeared to be the upsetting the public and weakening their overall confidence in their leaders who, at this point in time, were unable to stop the attacks from continuing. Information from various informants had led Duo to believe that the criminal ring was attempting to pull the rug out from under the men and women currently in power. Though it was only supposition on his part at this point, he believed that the very criminals who were perpetrating the bombing attacks were underhandedly attempting to gain political power by backing their own hand-picked political contenders with money and other means of support in an attempt to replace those currently in office. It was a masterful plan, and one he intended to prove all the way to the courtroom even if it took him years to bring the criminals to justice.

His full concentration that morning was directed on following one of the paths the ring used to send arms and weapons into these countries. He'd had to go through thousands of shipping ledgers, searching for some abnormality, some hint that something was out of place. He was so engrossed in his task that he failed to notice the exact moment when Heero came to stand by the side of his chair. In fact, it wasn't until he felt Heero's breath on his ear when he whispered, "Lunch," that he was able to break his concentration. Refocusing his eyes on the handsome face only inches from his own, he answered intelligently, "Huh?"

Heero smiled. "It's lunch time." He then leaned forward, cupped a hand to the side of mouth for privacy and whispered into his ear once more, "We have an attentive audience. It would behoove us to put on a good show."

"Ah." Duo nodded, and shivered when the other man's lips teasingly brushed his ear as he asked. "Where to?"

Heero pulled back slightly. "The cafeteria?"

Duo shook his head. That would be too obvious. Besides, he hated the cafeteria's food and only ate there when the weather was too ugly to go outside. "How about the deli?"

"Roberto's?"

"Yeah. There's plenty of room for all of us." He cast a glance at their other two friends, putting on their jackets. "Is Quatre coming?"

Heero's deep chuckle seemed more like a purr. "Did you really think he'd miss this opportunity to see us in action?"

Looking into Heero's deep blue eyes and seeing that he shared his own amusement, Duo's grin widened. "Then let's do this right and give them something to gossip about behind our backs this afternoon."

Heero stepped back and waited for the man with the frizzy braid to rise from his chair and put on his slightly damp jacket. With a conspiring wink that was out of the others' eyesight, the two men turned as one and Duo loudly announced, "Roberto's." Wufei and Trowa nodded in agreement, then the taller of the two whipped out his cell phone and made the expected call.

Once Quatre had been informed of their destination, the four left their office together, leaving behind the two older agents who both rolled their eyes and shook their heads at the unusual four. "None of our business," one of them muttered. "Damn kids," returned the other. "They're playing with dynamite." They both snorted with amusement. Watching the antics of the almost legal age former terrorists was always interesting, and this latest turn of events was likely to be very entertaining as well.

As they walked towards the café, huddled closely together under Heero's umbrella and just slightly ahead of their two friends, Duo leaned closer to whisper in Heero's ear. "I didn't hear from you all weekend. Is everything all right?" It had taken a lot for him to ask that question and in a casual manner that didn't reveal the anxiety he'd felt over the lack of contact. He was worried that Heero might have gotten cold feet, had re-examined their deal and wanted to back out.

"I had that blind date Relena set up," Heero reminded him with a follow-up sigh. "Her friend was nice, but she seemed to be afraid of me." He gave Duo a small, almost forced-looking smile. "Guess my reputation precedes me."

Duo frowned for a moment, trying to think of how anyone could not be attracted to the man walking next to him. "I don't think your reputation is the problem," he told Heero after coming to his own conclusion. "It's your looks that cause other people to feel unsure of themselves."

"My looks?" Heero questioned, surprise written all over his face.

Duo paused to gaze at the other man. "Heero, you have to know that you're probably the most handsome guy I've ever seen. People don't know how to approach someone who is as good looking as you are."

With an questioning arch of one eyebrow Heero asked, "Do you think I'm good looking?" The upward twitch at the corner of his mouth showed that he was enjoying the conversation.

Duo elbowed him gently in the side. "Didn't I just say so?"

Blue eyes studied him for a moment before Heero continued, a rather serious look on his face, "If that's true, then why don't you have the same problem? You are unusually attractive and strangers as well as acquaintances don't hesitate approaching you in order to ask you out or begin a conversation."

"Damned if I know," the braided man replied with a shrug of his shoulders, though inwardly he was jumping for joy that Heero thought he was attractive. He understood to some degree that the image he saw in his bathroom mirror each morning was something that appealed to others, but hearing that Heero found him attractive was more flattering and meant more to him than anyone else's compliments.

His eyes fell to the pavement as the two of them continued down the sidewalk and he tired to think of an answer to Heero's question. "I suppose people see what they want to," he replied thoughtfully. "And I generally make a point of projecting a friendly face, appearing to be just an average, approachable guy, where your natural expression is a more formidable, don't-mess-with-me look." After sighing deeply, Duo added, "But we're nothing like the average citizen, are we? How can anyone comprehend how much we've sacrificed and suffered when we were kids. My life so far has been anything but normal, and if they knew my skills include fourteen proven ways to kill a man, that I've blown up more buildings than I can count, shot down more than my share of mobile suits, that I can accurately sink a knife into them before they can blink an eye, everyone would see me in a different light, and with good reason they'd fear me. That's the real me, Heero, not the person everyone thinks they want to date." A feeling of sadness swept through him all of a sudden, a result of talking about his less admirable qualities, those that separated him from most of his fellow man. What in the world would Heero want with a miscreant like himself?

"Hmm," Heero hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe that's why we get along so well, because we've got so much in common."

Duo's head jerked up, his heart was immediately lightened by Heero's suggestion, realizing it was true. Every fighting technique he knew, as well as the suffering and sacrifices he'd endured, Heero had, to some degree, experienced as well. "Yeah, that could be," he replied, and looking up again into Heero's eyes he found warm understanding within the deep blue depths.

"But I take exception to your saying you're perceived as 'an average guy'." Heero said, his gaze not wavering from Duo's eyes. "Average will never be a word used to describe Duo Maxwell."

A ridiculously warm and fuzzy feeling centered in his chest, and Duo drew a bit closer to the other man, looping his arm through Heero's as they walked through the drizzle, umbrella held overhead as they approached the small restaurant.

Quatre arrived at the café five minutes after the four had been seated. The blond immediately took note of Heero and Duo sitting next to each other. That, in and of itself, was not unusual but they were definitely sitting with their shoulders and thighs touching each other's. The business suit-wearing blond slid into the booth opposite them and shifted to his right to sit just as intimately next to Trowa, their hands locking together under the table almost immediately.

"So, what did I miss?" Quatre began, searching the eyes of the other four at the table, noting once again that Wufei had been consigned to sitting in a chair at the end of the booth.

"Duo's decided to be a gentleman and not tell us any details regarding Friday night," Wufei smirked. "So I think we should direct our questioning to Heero."

"We had a very pleasant evening," Heero volunteered, much to the surprise of the other four.

"Just how pleasant?" Trowa asked, his green eyes sparkling with amusement.

"That's for us to know and you to find out," Duo jumped into the conversation, usurping whatever Heero was about to say. Then before he looked back to his menu, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, fueling the curiosity of the other three. Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything more, his lunch companions followed his example by looking down at their own menus, which they all knew by heart from the many visits to this particular eatery.

"By the way," Duo began in a leisurely manner, though his eyes narrowed in an accusing manner as they searched the faces of his friends. "Is there any chance you guys followed us to The Oasis?"

Of course it was Quatre who responded for the three. The blond was a take-charge kind of man, after all, and though he often chose not to, he could lie through his teeth if the situation warranted it. He actually managed to looked shocked at Duo's suggestion. "What? Do you honestly believe that we would stoop so low as to follow you on your date? Why would we do such a thing?" Quatre's expression and tone of voice was quite convincing of his innocence, but Duo noted the lack of an outright denial.

"Verification," Heero answered, nose still buried in his menu.

"Verification of what?" Wufei asked, looking affronted. It was an expression he'd perfected and used quite often.

"That we were actually going on a date," Heero replied.

Trowa cleared his throat, obviously not comfortable with the conversation, or maybe, Duo thought, of being caught. "Duo has been known to purposely lead us to believe one thing when the opposite is true."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Now Duo was the one insulted.

"Not an out-and-out liar," Wufei added. "But you are skillful in diverting the truth."

"I didn't divert anything," Duo said heatedly. "You heard Heero ask me out."

"We're just concerned, Duo. Please don't be angry because we're worried about this new development," Quatre appealed earnestly to him with his large, entreating eyes. "We just want you to be happy, the both of you."

Duo turned his head to look at Heero, who had also glanced over to him. Both looked confused. "What are they concerned about?"

Heero's eyes narrowed, a sign that he was unhappy with whatever was being insinuated. He turned his eyes to focus on Trowa. The auburn-haired man flinched just slightly under that withering glare. "Tell us," Heero demanded.

Casting a quick glance at both Wufei and Quatre, Trowa's shoulders slumped slightly. "We're worried about the two of you getting hurt. If this experiment in dating ends badly, it could cause a divide in our friendships. We don't want that to happen."

Oh yeah, that was the downside that Duo hadn't come up with when they'd first decided on this ruse. "I'd rather slit my own throat than hurt Heero," he blurted out without meaning to sound so dramatic.

"Likewise," Heero added more softly, gazing intently at the braided man.

"Besides," Duo perked up, and winked at his ebony-haired friend. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

Wufei's eyes lit up with excitement. "Ah, but fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

Duo quirked an eyebrow as the other three at the lunch table moaned as the game the two often engaged in began. The Chinese Preventer had given a famous quote, an open challenge to the former Deathscythe pilot, an ace at quoting proverbs. It was now Duo's turn to deliver a famous line. Their friends didn't enjoy this game as much as the participating two. "Faint heart never won fair lady." Duo snickered, then quickly added; "'Fortune, seeing that she could not make fools wise, has made them lucky', and I'm feeling pretty damn lucky lately."

"Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet," Wufei countered.

Duo grinned. "In life, each of us must sometimes play the fool."

Wufei frowned. "Is that a quote or are you making that up?"

"It's a proverb. I swear it," Duo replied with a chuckle. "I think it's Yiddish. Wait, I've got another one. 'Looking foolish does the spirit good. The need to not look foolish is one of youth's many burdens.' Novelist John Updike."

"Shakespeare," Wufei countered once more. "The fool thinks himself to be wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."

Duo laughed, a good natured grin on his face. "That's good, Wu. You almost got me except for the fact that I have one more. 'Love is the wisdom of the fools and the folly of the wise.'"

"Exactly my point," Wufei grinned, leaving the game behind. "This whole venture of you and Heero dating is unwise. One of you, if not both, is going to get hurt."

"Wufei." Heero's growl sent a warning to the black-haired Preventer that he was going a bit too far.

"I have a proverb of my own to add as a followup to the last one," Trowa offered, and four sets of eyes turned to him expectantly. "Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

"Agreed," Quatre smiled brightly at his lover, then lowered the wattage when he turned back to the matter at hand. "But let's stop with the pithy duel at this point because I happen to know that both Wufei and Duo know countless proverbs and phrases on the subject of love, and I have to get back to the office sometime today."

Duo gave the blond a crooked grin, glad that he and Wufei managed to distract the others enough so that the conversation changed direction once again. His eyes lingered on his wealthy friend. Quatre alone knew of his former teenage crush on Heero. Of course, being involved in a war, he couldn't have picked a worse time to find himself emotionally and physically attracted to Wing's handsome, mission-driven pilot who also had a penchant for self destructing and just happened to attract the attention of a certain Relena Darlian, later turned Peacecraft. He hadn't expected to find himself attracted to another male before that point in time, and in the middle of fighting a war his feelings for Heero added further to his high level of stress. His confusion and self-doubt about his sexual orientation in addition to his other pre-war hang ups were too much for him to handle at such a young age. If he hadn't already been messed up in the head at that point, he certainly didn't need to add his unrequited feelings for his teammate to his inner turmoil. So his fifteen year-old self had decided to keep his feelings for his comrade hidden in order to do what needed to be done to win the war.

Several times during the first war he'd been surprised and somewhat hopeful that maybe Heero cared for him, at least a little, as exhibited by some of Wing's pilot's actions, like not shooting him in his holding cell after he and Deathscythe had been captured after leaving Earth. He'd pondered long and hard about why Heero had spared and rescued him and arranged to have his injuries treated. He'd also wondered why the other boy had registered himself in a school under the name of Duo Maxwell. To this day he still hadn't received a good explanation for that action.

Damn, Quatre was frowning while he pretended to study his menu. Duo had an idea it wasn't the selection of food being offered that bothered the blond, but rather his concern for what was happening within their group. Quatre was probably using his space heart, he thought. With that thought in mind, Duo focused on calming his inner feelings. In doing so he recalled a time during the first war when the blond had cornered him on the Peacemillion, just after Hilde had been hurt and brought in after escaping Libra and Heero had gone off to rescue Miss Queen of the World. With all that was happening, the tension, the exhaustion and the need to confide in someone, it didn't take much on Quatre's part to get him to open up. He'd blabbed everything to his good friend, his feelings for Heero and his confusion about his attraction to him. After that, his good friend had kept a concerned eye on him, like a mother hen at times, which now and then grated on Duo's nerves. Now the worried look on Quatre's face as he selected his meal told him that the blond was still worrying about his welfare. His good friend and confidant knew, more than anyone, that with very little effort Heero could crush his heart as easily as he could crush an office memo regarding a baby shower.

The waitress came, their orders were taken and soon the five friends were searching for a safe, neutral topic for conversation. Duo began to see just what the three were concerned about. His and Heero's so-called dating was putting everyone on guard. He didn't like that, and it wasn't right. It was pure exasperation that caused him to make an abrupt decision. "Alright, if our going out bothers you guys so much, we'll stop right here, right now." The area around him immediately went silent and all eyes at the table turned to him as he continued. "We won't date each other or anyone else for that matter. We'll just stay Duo and Heero, good friends with no life, no love, just a couple of pathetic guys who gave into peer pressure." Duo realized that no one looked more surprised at his statement than Heero. A long moment passed before anyone reacted, and when they did, all three of their friends spoke at once.

"That's not what we want," Trowa stated.

"You can't think we mean to dictate your life to you like that, do you?" Quatre asked.

"Finally, you're willing to listen to reason," Wufei scoffed.

Four pairs of eyes turned to the Chinese agent and glared.

"What?" Wufei hadn't mastered the innocent look yet.

Quatre slowly turned from looking at the man at the end of the table to his two friends sitting across from him. "We are not about to tell you not to date," he began, softening his voice and expression. "We just want you to proceed slowly and carefully and not rush into anything that you might later regret."

Duo felt Heero shift and then his arm was settling across his shoulder. "We'll take your advice."

"And you'll come to us if you need help?"

Duo sighed, looking at the blond. "When have I ever come to you for dating advice, Quatre?"

The blond rolled his blue-green eyes and pushed some of the long strands of hair out of his eyes. "I didn't mean about dating. As far as I know neither of you have been in a serious relationship before. I'm just saying that Trowa and I have weathered a lot, and we could be helpful if you experience some snags in your relationship."

"Whoa, buddy." Duo put a hand out, indicating his friend should slow down or, preferably, stop. "Heero and I are just dating, alright? Nobody is moving in, picking out rings or buying towels together. We're just dating. It's not a relationship yet. Got it?"

The knowing look the young businessman gave to his braided friend told Duo that he highly suspected where his heart was already headed. But a quick wink from the blond assured him that his friend wasn't going to contradict him, at least not in front of the other three.

"All right." Quatre sat back, looking satisfied, then turned to greet the waitress as she carried five plates of sandwiches, impossibly balanced in her two hands. Heero retrieved his arm from around Duo's shoulders in order to accept his plate, the loss of that warmth was instantly missed by the braided man.

After each of them had taken at least one bite of their food, Wufei asked, "So when is the next date?"

"You'll just have to follow us to find out," Duo said, just before wrapping his lips around his turkey sandwich.

"I'm leaving it up to Duo," Heero answered casually.

"What?" Duo said with mouthful of bread, turning surprised eyes to the man sitting almost in his lap.

"I planned our first date, I believe it's your turn to ask me out and make the plans."

Duo took a quick drink of his soda to help him swallow his food, aware that everyone was waiting for him to respond. Once he could manage to talk he looked at Heero and said with an easy grin, "Okay. Are you free this weekend?"

"Friday or Saturday night is good for me," Heero replied, pulling a pickle out of his sandwich and judiciously selecting a place for it on the edge of his plate.

"How about Saturday, sometime during the day?" Duo reached over, snatched up the discarded pickle and popped it into his mouth, giving Heero a cheesy grin.

Heero paused, then nodded. "I can do my housecleaning and laundry on Sunday if you prefer the daytime."

"Great. Give me a day or two to come up with something."

"It's a date," Heero said, a grin tugging at the corners of this mouth. Then looking up at Wufei, he asked. "How's the Kilpatrick case coming along?" Engaging Wufei in shop talk was the best way to get their Chinese friend's focus off of them. Duo gave Heero's arm a gentle nudge with his elbow, expressing his silent thanks. The sudden touch of a hand on his upper thigh and the squeezing of it caused him to jump slightly and a slight gasp escaped him. He covered it up with a forced cough.

"Too much pepper," he explained to the others while Heero chuckled at his attempted coverup.

TBC

Note: Thanks for all your comments. You guys are the best! Sorry for the delay of this chapter; a busy week at work and three-day weekend out of town is my only excuse.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Deal  
By: Dyna Dee  
Part 6**

During the next couple of days, Heero often took advantage of the others not so covertly watching them to make a show of staking his claim on the braided agent. The two were seldom seen apart, and even at the water cooler the Japanese man cornered Duo in a provocative manner, whispering what looked like sweet nothings into his ear. No one but Duo knew that Heero was simply telling him that they had an audience and that there was an interesting show on the History Channel that evening.

On Thursday morning Duo sat on the edge of Heero's desk and announced that they were going to spend a good part of Saturday hiking Adelaide Mountain. He went on to suggest that he would provide their lunch and drinks if Heero would don appropriate shoes and wear his black spandex shorts. Their two older co-workers shared a questioning look at each other when Wufei and Trowa burst out in laughter. "Inside joke," one of older agents mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders.

Saturday morning finally arrived but unfortunately the sun didn't show its face. The forecast had been for partly cloudy skies with a chance of late afternoon showers, but as the hour drew near for Duo to pick Heero up, the braided man looked out his window with some dismay at seeing a series of lighting bolts streak across the dark bank of clouds, followed several seconds later by loud, rolling thunder. He looked over to the backpack he'd prepared for their outing and sighed with disappointment.

The phone rang and he moved slowly to answer it. Expecting it to be Heero, he was surprised when Quatre's face popped up on the vid screen. The blond wore an expression of sympathy on his face.

"Oh, Duo, I'm so sorry about this weather. Did you cancel your plans with Heero?"

The braided man wondered at his friend's concern, only to remind himself that this was Quatre speaking. Duo had no doubt that if they were living on a colony, his blondness would have gladly paid an exorbitant fee for the environmental systems management to provide he and Heero with a perfect day. "No, I was just about to call him when you rang," he replied, trying to appear less disappointed than he actually felt.

"How about an alternative to the hike?"

One quizzical, cinnamon-colored eyebrow rose. "What do you have in mind?"

It wasn't exactly the date he'd planned, but Duo didn't want to disappoint Quatre by not accepting his offer, nor did he want to give their other three friends the impression that he and Heero were just casually dating. No, he and Heero were enjoying not being harassed by others trying to set them up on dates. He found it immensely satisfying to simply and honestly tell those do-gooders, who'd not yet gotten word that he was off the market, that he was dating someone exclusively. This arrangement was working even better than either one of them had hoped.

After calling Heero about the change in plans, he added a few items to his prepared backpack, then hoisted it over his shoulder and left his apartment for the parking garage to get his car. Ten minutes later, Heero was in the passenger seat with his black duffle bag resting on the back seat.

Pulling into traffic, Duo gave his passenger a questioning look, his eyes wandering southward before meeting his gaze once more. "Couldn't find the spandex?"

Heero's eyes sparkled with amusement as he gave him a crooked smile. "Not exactly." Duo gave a snort. He noted that Heero was wearing worn blue jeans and a dark blue T-shirt, and he had to wonder at how someone could look so damn sexy in regular street clothes. With that thought lingering in his mind, he dragged his eyes back to the road.

"So was this your idea or Quatre's?"

"Quat's. He called right after the lightning began."

"He's always been the strategist." There was a smile in Heero's voice.

"Yeah. I just wonder what his angle is."

"You think he has ulterior motives?"

"Yes... err... no. Not really," Duo answered with uncertainty. "I don't know, Heero. Quatre's a good guy and he may genuinely just be wanting to help us out, but I can't help but think that he wants to keep a close eye on us. The guys really were kind of freaked out when we told them we were seeing each other as more than friends."

"It's really none of their business," Heero replied. "We didn't get involved in their relationships when they began dating."

"Yeah right!" Duo contradicted the other man with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "If I remember right, you informed Quatre that getting involved during a war was a mistake, that it was a distraction for both he and Trowa and kept them from being fully efficient. You also told Trowa that their obvious feelings for each other gave them each an Achilles' heel that could be used against them if the enemy ever found out about their relationship."

"And you didn't share those concerns?"

Duo chanced a glance at Heero again, seeing only curiosity in his expression. "Yeah, I suppose I did, but I didn't think it was right for me to tell them they were wrong. I mean, they were falling in love with each other, and if one of them happened to be killed, at least they would have a few warm, unforgettable memories to hold onto. I always thought they were lucky, you know? To have found something that a lot of people search all their lives for and never find."

A few moments of silence filled the car as the two men contemplated their friend's good fortune, and Duo turned on the windshield wipers as the rain began to fall once again. Then out of the blue Heero asked, "Have you ever been in love?"

Heero's question came as a surprise, and he wasn't sure how to answer him, especially when he considered who he was talking to, but he thought that he should at least try to be honest. "I've loved people, Heero, and most of them are dead. But have I been in love?" He sighed as he pulled on the steering wheel and turned the corner onto the street where Quatre and Trowa lived. "Maybe, but I never did anything about it." He cast a glance at Heero only to see him looking out the passenger side window. Heero had always seemed clueless about how he'd felt about him during the war. Sometimes he regretted not saying anything, but the past was the past, and regrets never changed anything. Yet before he could stop himself, he was telling Heero the painful truth wedged in his heart. "I've just about given up hope of finding myself in love with someone who feels the same way about me."

There was another moment of silence, and Duo had expected Heero to offer up some information in exchange for his own. He was disappointed in his so-called date's silence, so he asked, "Have you ever been in love?"

Casting another glance at his passenger, Duo was disappointed to find that Heero's face remained turned away from him as he continued to stared out the side window. Another moment passed before he heard a quiet answer to his question. "Yes, but it was one sided."

Relena, Duo thought. He wished he knew what had gone wrong between the former Queen of the World and Wing's pilot. He and the other pilots had watched them from afar as Relena chased after the boy terrorist from L-1, and Heero, for some reason, often sought out the girl who had held so many roles in her young life. He'd been jealous of the rich, pampered girl and of Heero's fascination with her, but he'd decided that if she was what Heero wanted, who was he to tell his comrade that he couldn't have her? Remembering it now brought back the heartache he'd felt during that time, and some of that ache remained. He supposed his jealousy at not being the one Heero had fallen in love with lingered still, despite his best efforts to try and leave it in the past. Again, something whispered to him that maybe this whole fake dating scheme was a very bad idea, that he was going to be hurt even worse than before when it was all over and Heero moved on, still ignorant of his feelings for him.

After pulling his car into the driveway and parking in front of the steps leading to the Winner/Barton home, the two men made a mad dash through the pouring rain to the front door where they were met by a smiling blond and a smirking brunet.

After an exchange of greetings with their friends, they were led to the back of the large home to where the indoor pool was located. Quatre and Trowa bid them a good afternoon and assured them that they would be left alone for the remainder of their date. Duo waved them off, then immediately opened his backpack to remove two large towels and carefully laid them out on two adjacent, padded reclining chairs while Heero carried his duffle to the changing, located to the right of the pool. Though Quatre's volunteering his and Trowa's home for their "date" was appreciated, Duo was still a bit disappointed that his plans for the day had been ruined by the weather. There was no way he could ever afford the kind of date Heero had treated him to, so he'd chosen an outdoor activity, knowing Heero enjoyed a physical challenge.

He heard the creak of a door hinge as he pulled his own swim trunks out of the duffle bag, then turned, next in line for the changing room. He stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth falling open as he stared at the small, tight black Speedo the Japanese man was wearing. He swallowed hard, but still couldn't form a single word as Heero walked towards him, exuding confidence and no noticeable amount of body shyness. Other than bearing the facial attributes of being part Japanese, Heero's strong and sculpted body resembled those magnificent statues of Greek gods or Olympian athletes carved to smooth perfection in granite. Strong shoulders narrowed to a trim waist, a lovely washboard stomach and slender hips that topped long and powerful legs. Other than a smattering of hair on his legs, arms and underarms, Heero looked to be free of extra body hair, with the exception of a slight trail of dark hair that peeked out of the top of that blessedly small and black Speedo. A vivid imagination could easily form an image of what lay under that small strip of material, and Duo had always prided himself on having a creative and very active mind.

Heero chuckled and came to stand in front of the wide-eyed man and held his arms out slightly from his body. "I couldn't find my spandex shorts that you requested, but I thought this would be a good enough substitute."

Duo nodded. "Good enough," he said in a choked voice while quickly sucking in the drool that was in danger of leaking out of the corners of his open mouth. Heero chuckled again, definitely amused, then walked past Duo towards the pool, giving the braided man a passing swat on his jean-clad posterior. "Get changed. I'll meet you in the pool."

Duo stumbled towards the dressing room, his swim trunks clutched tightly in his hands. He shut the white louvered door behind him and let out a lung full of air, glad for the momentary reprieve to gather his wits about him. After a moment, he began to undress, finding the task of removing his clothing and putting on his trunks rather difficult, considering his fumbling fingers. He emerged from the little room five minutes later, a bit more composed than he'd been entered, and was glad to see the Heero was taking advantage of the pool. The blue and white Hawaiian trunks he wore had been a gift from Howard, and compared to Heero's brief attire, he was ridiculously overdressed, even with the waistband hanging low on his hips and the hem of the legs ending at his knees.

He walked to the edge of the pool and timed his entry between Heero's laps. The bronze body was gliding almost effortlessly through the water, and once again Duo felt envious of the other man's skills. He'd learned the basics of surviving in water from Howard, but his skills were mainly dog paddling and floating. After Heero flipped himself over at the pool's edge to glide underwater for a bit before breaking the surface and stroking towards the opposite end of the pool once more, Duo jumped in and immediately gasped in shock at the sudden dunk in the chilly water. He'd expected the pool to be heated, and he supposed it was, but it was still on the cool side. Oh well, all the better to take care of the pesky problem he was having beneath his trunks, he thought, and seeing the curve of Heero's barely covered bottom as he executed another turn-around flip at the end of the pool wasn't helping.

Moving out of Heero's path, Duo pushed his head and shoulders back and brought his legs up in an attempt to float his body on the top of the water, his arms fanning quickly beneath the surface to keep him from sinking. He always liked the silence that came from having his ears under water. It muted the world around him and let his mind wander where it would. At the moment, his eyes were fixed on the ceiling above. The lights shining from the walls and onto the pool a sparkling reflection on the surface of the ceiling. It was pretty, he thought, and rather hypnotic as the reflected light danced on the raised, glossy surface.

A touch on his shoulder brought his feet quickly to the bottom of the pool and Duo straightened to see Heero standing next to him, waist deep in water with a smile on his handsome face. "What are you doing?"

Duo grinned in his usual lopsided, self-deprecating manner. "Just floating and looking at the water's reflection on the ceiling."

Heero looked up at the ceiling to see what he was talking about, and it was then that Duo realized that he'd never seen the hair slicked back, completely away from his friend's face such as it was at that moment. Heero must have come out of the water from below in order for that thick, almost black hair to lay plastered over the top of his head. It took everything within him not to reach out and touch that lovely angled face, to trace that strong jaw line and kiss those tantalizing lips

"Join me in swimming laps?" Heero asked as he returned his gaze to his companion, looking hopeful. "We can make a race out of it."

Duo laughed and shook his head. "No thanks." He really didn't feel like telling Heero that he couldn't swim; it was a matter of pride and embarrassment. Still, he realized that he might not be able to avoid confessing his inability to swim.

"Come on. Where's that thirst for competition you displayed during the wars? We can even wager something on the outcome. Anything you want."

Biting his lower lip and hating to turn the request down, Duo reluctantly shook his head. "Really, Heero. I don't want to swim laps, but you go ahead, it's obvious you enjoy the exercise. I don't mind, really."

Some of the playfulness that had been in Heero's eyes slipped away, replaced by curiosity. The tilting of that finely etched chin made Heero look so handsome, Duo thought. "L2 doesn't have any swimming pools, does it?"

He should have known Heero would guess what the problem was. "Nah. When I was a kid the place barely had running water. A swimming pool or fountain was unheard of on L2. That's rich colony stuff."

"So you can't swim," Heero surmised correctly.

"Nope. Other than floating on my back, I sink like a stone when I try anything else, but I've learned that if I expend a lot of energy, I can tread water enough to keep my head above the surface. Howard tried his best to teach me, he really did, but after he realized I was a lost cause he made sure I could at least do that, in case I ever found myself in deep water."

"Do you want me to teach you?"

The idea of Heero, naked except for that little piece of Lycra adorning his lower regions, holding his body in the water while teaching him to swim was almost too much to resist. Yet again his pride held him back. He didn't want to look like a fool in front of Heero. He'd always tried to meet the Japanese man's standards and abilities, and flailing around in the water like a four year old wouldn't impress the guy who could do just about anything perfectly. "Nah. Thanks anyway, but treading water will be enough to get me by."

Heero moved closer, coming within inches of Duo's body and face. "I'd really like to teach you, Duo," he said, his voice lowering to a seductive timber. "Who knows, you might need to know how to swim someday, on a mission perhaps. If you haven't learned how, you could endanger yourself or whoever you're partnered with."

"I see your point, but believe me, I'm hopeless," Duo replied, suddenly aware how hard it was to speak with Heero standing so close, his deep-blue eyes only inches from his own and focused on his lips. His nervous swallow felt like his Adam's apple was blocking his windpipe, and his accelerating heartbeat sounded like an orchestra of timpani drums pounding out a rapid, two-tone, syncopated beat in his ears. Could Heero hear that?

"Please."

Two minutes later he was stretched face down on the surface of the water with Heero's arms placed under his stomach and upper thighs, holding him up while he practiced the movements the other man had demonstrated moments before. When the hands let go of him, he promptly sank under the water, regardless of the fact that his arms and legs were still frantically working to keep him from doing so. After a few more tries, Heero settled for teaching him how to swim under water, pushing off from the side and swimming like a frog as far as possible before surfacing, only to begin frantically treading water to keep himself afloat.

After spending a good hour and a half in the pool, the two dried off with the intention of sharing the lunch Duo had brought. The long-haired man wrung the excess water out from his braid and a brief smile tugged at his lips when recalling how patient Heero had been with him. He was glad he'd given into Heero's request to give him a swimming lesson. Though he really wasn't swimming any better, he felt a sense of satisfaction from having learned to move underwater and the promise from Heero to teach him how to do the back stroke. It seemed the basic crawl stroke was a skill that would continue to elude him.

When the two men returned to the pool-side furniture, Duo stopped short and frowned at what he found there. Dammit, by the evidence of the lavish lunch set on the small table, Quatre or Trowa had been in the pool room and had, in fact, invaded the privacy they'd promised to respect. With hands clenched and resting on his hips, he glared at the laid out food while Heero walked up to it, sampled something from one of the plates, then turned to him to ask, "Did you plan this?"

"No! Looks like we had some company while we were busy in the pool," Duo replied, clearly unhappy. He was embarrassed that whoever brought the lunch in to them had been witness to his inability to swim and that Heero was trying to teach him.

"It's good. Have some." Heero reached for another piece of what he'd just finished tasting, which appeared to Duo to be something that was breaded. Heero promptly held it out to him.

"They promised not to intrude," he complained, not taking the offered food from Heero's hand.

"Maybe they shouldn't have, but it does look like an excellent lunch. Don't you think we should take advantage of it?"

Duo had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Heero was okay with the idea that they'd been spied on. As the Speedo clad man held the food up to his face again, Duo drew back his head, his eyes crossing slightly in an effort to focus on the morsel of food being offered. "What is it?"

Heero grinned and took a bite of the breaded tidbit. "Umm...I'm pretty sure it's abalone, sliced thin, breaded and fried with butter, onions and garlic. It's quite a delicacy. Have a bite, it's good."

"Is that fish?"

"It's a mollusk, a shellfish."

Duo shook his head. "I don't like fish."

"This is different from fish. Have you ever tried it before?"

"No."

"Then how do you know you don't like it? Some people believe that shellfish are aphrodisiacs."

Duo snorted_. An aphrodisiac? Like I need that_! he thought. "I just don't like anything that smells or tastes like fish. If something smells really bad, it smells like fish to me."

"So you've never eaten any kind of fish before?"

Duo snorted. "Of course I have. Canned tuna was often served at the orphanage, and when I bunked on Howard's floating workshop, they often served fish and chips. Sometimes I didn't have a choice but to eat it."

"Here, give this a try." Having popped the piece he'd offered a moment ago into his mouth, Heero then selected a smaller piece of the breaded shellfish and dipped it in the cocktail sauce that sat in the small glass dish to the side of their plates. "Just to see whether or not you like it."

Duo wrinkled his nose at the unappealing bit of food. He really didn't want to put that thing into his mouth, but the challenging glimmer in Heero's eyes was something he was helpless to resist. His memory of the nets being pulled up from Howard's ocean floating ship, with a variety of alien creatures from the water's depths flopping around, wasn't a good one. Having been colony-born, octopus and squid had been especially shocking to him and as frightening as any dark, nefarious shadow lurking in an alleyway on L2. He'd eaten old food from out of garbage cans, a rat when they could find one, and moldy bread, but why anyone would eat such a creature was beyond him. He tried not to think about what an abalone looked like as he found himself unable to resist Heero's challenge and reluctantly opened his mouth and took a bite of the rubbery offering. He chewed it for only a moment before he promptly spit it out into his hand. "Sorry," he said with his nose wrinkling with distaste. He gave Heero an apologetic glance while wiping the offensive bit off his palm and into a napkin.

Heero shrugged. "I guess that just means more for me," he smiled, easing Duo's fear that the other man would think him ridiculous for spitting out the small bit of food. "I'm sure there's something else you can eat." And indeed there was. Quatre had put out the makings for a variety of cold-cut sandwiches as well as a potato and green lettuce salad.

The two friends chatted while Duo began making himself a tall sandwich and Heero nibbled at the finger food. They sat on the lounge chairs and began to enjoy their lunch while carrying on a casual conversation about everything and nothing while Duo forced his eyes to remain on Heero's face and not straying to ogle that wonderful body on display. He had only begun eating his sandwich when suddenly his stomach begin to cramp violently and his face twisted with pain. He gasped at the suddenness of it, and as the pain continued he broke into a sweat and doubled over from the excruciating pain.

"What's the matter?" Heero asked alarmed, leaving his own chair to crouch next to his friend after observing his unusual behavior.

"Hurts." Even to his own ears, Duo thought his voice sounded strained, and that something strange was happening with his tongue and throat. He became frightened after realizing that both felt thick, like they were swelling and quickly blocking off his air passage. Looking up with wide panicked eyes to Heero's concerned face, he put his hands to his throat and barely managed to gasp out the words, "Can't breathe."

Reacting immediately by jumping to his feet, the Japanese man picked Duo up in his arms and ran for the doorway to the house, shouting Quatre's name in an uncharacteristically booming and panicked voice.

**Tbc**

Thanks again for reviews, comments and compliments. You've made me smile on more than one occasion, and I thank you for that. The nicest people say the most lovely things.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Deal  
Part 7**

The paramedic straightened from where the suffering young man lay stretched out on the now damp, expensive sofa in the living room belonging to the notable Quatre Winner. "He should be all right now," he assured the three concerned young men who stood off to the side. "His blood pressure is still a bit low, but it appears the muscle cramps have eased off."

"What about his throat?" Heero asked. He'd forced himself to stand back and out of the EMT's way after he and his partner rushed into the room to treat Duo. He was then compelled by necessity to stand back and watch from over the paramedic's shoulder while Duo was being examined and treated. "Has the swelling gone done? He seems to be breathing easier."

"The swelling has diminished enough for air to pass through more easily," the blond, mustached man in the green khaki uniform answered, bending to put his box of medical tools away. Snapping the lid shut, he stood and handed the case to the slightly younger man dressed in exactly the same manner. "It should continue to diminish, but I'd have the hospital or a doctor check him out as soon as possible. He'll need to be monitored for a day or so. You say he didn't know he had an allergy to shellfish?"

The three friends exchanged a look, each shaking his head. "He said he'd only eaten tuna from a can and rarely some fish caught in the ocean. He doesn't care for seafood in general because of the smell," Heero informed the man. "He only had a small bite of the abalone and then spit it out." He frowned in recalling the incident and how he'd urged Duo to try something he really didn't want. Guilt assailed him as he realized he'd almost caused Duo's death. If Trowa hadn't been there, hadn't recognized the symptoms and had his medicine on hand... He inwardly cringed, thinking the results could have had a far different and tragic outcome.

"Sometimes it doesn't take much at all to cause a reaction," the emergency technician said. "A slight taste, or even kissing someone who has just eaten shellfish, could send him into anaphylactic shock."

"If I hadn't pushed it on him, he would never have tried the abalone and gotten so ill." Heero said, his gaze lowering to Duo's pale and puffy face, now slack as he dozed, slowly recovering from the frightful experience and heavy dose of medication.

"Then the blame must be mine," Quatre interjected. Heero looked from Duo to the blond's face to see that their friend was being serious.

The EMT shook his head and explained, "It's no one's fault. His allergy seems to be quite severe, so it really is better that he found out about it when medical help was nearby. He's pretty lucky that Mr. Barton recognized what was going on and had some epinephrine on hand. If he hadn't, Mr. Maxwell could very easily have died from anaphylactic shock."

"I'm allergic to bee stings so I had some medication in the house," Trowa offered quietly, his hand in Quatre's as he stared worriedly at the friend that they'd almost lost in such a ridiculous way. As Preventers they faced a variety of dangerous situations on a regular basis that could end their lives, but to be taken out by a little bit of shellfish seemed beyond their comprehension.

"Thank you for responding so promptly," Quatre said, offering his free hand and a forced smile to both men in gratitude.

"It's our pleasure, Mr. Winner. Don't bother seeing us to the door, we'll see ourselves out. Have a good day," the lead EMT said in parting, then led his partner from the room and out the front door, shutting it quietly behind them.

In unison the three friends returned their gaze to Duo's resting form. "That was incredibly frightening," Quatre said after drawing in a shaky breath, some of his earlier composure slipping now that the EMTs had gone and the emergency appeared to be over. He reached for the knit blanket on the back of the sofa and placed it over Duo's goose pimpled body, clad only in his damp swim trunks.

"Someone should notify Wufei," Trowa said. "He'll want to know what's happened."

"Should we take him to the hospital?"

Heero shook his head in answer to Quatre's question. "I'll take him home with me and watch him over the weekend. Despite what the EMT said, this is my fault. I'll call Sally before we leave here and arrange for her to meet us at my place to take a look at Duo and prescribe any medication he might need."

"I think you had better revisit the changing room first, Heero," Trowa suggested, with a faint grin coming to his face for the first time since the whole traumatic ordeal began. "I thought the younger EMT was going to pass out if you bent over Duo one more time. Nice ass, by the way."

"Shut up," Heero growled, though the corner of his lips twitched upward despite the dire situation they'd just gone through. "Stay with him until I return." He quickly left the room and its three occupants, heading back towards the pool area to retrieve his and Duo's clothing, leaving the sound of snickering behind him.

Amused blue-green eyes met green. "You're right, Trowa. He does have a nice ass, not to mention the sizeable package in front."

Trowa chuckled, having made the same observation while Heero, dressed in his little black Speedo, had fretted and paced in front of Duo while they'd waited for the epinephrine to kick in and the paramedics to arrive. "Lucky Duo."

"Not as lucky as I am, though," Quatre said sincerely, fitting himself snug and neatly into the taller man's side, searching for and receiving the comfort he was looking for. To be honest, he was deeply shaken by the whole experience and he'd tried to hide it from the others. Having Heero call his name with such panic in his voice was something he would not soon forget, nor the sight of him carrying Duo though the house, his eyes wide with fear for the braided man whose swelling face was also turning red from lack of oxygen. They'd almost lost Duo. Unthinkable as that was, it had almost become a reality. He leaned back only to lift his chin and share a brief kiss with his lover, grateful for Trowa's quick and calm response to the dire situation. The kiss ended with a mutual sigh of satisfaction, or was it relief? With their arms around each other's waist, their attention turned back to their resting friend, grateful once again that death had been diverted and that Duo was going to be alright.

"You should eat something."

"Don't wanna."

Heero rolled his eyes at the petulant man wearing his pajama bottoms, T-shirt and resting comfortably on his sofa. He remembered quite well from their time spent together during the wars that Duo was not the most pleasant of patients when he'd been hurt or ill. It was late at night, the same day as their pool date, and the two of them were having a delayed dinner, or at least Heero was. He'd heated a can of soup, thinking it would be easier for Duo to swallow. But after his near-death experience the long-haired man was reluctant to put anything in his mouth.

"I promise you there's no shellfish in vegetable soup," Heero told him with as much patience as he could muster, having argued with Duo about eating or drinking something for most of the evening. He calmly set the prepared tray of food down on the coffee table, which held two bowls of soup, two cups of tea and several pieces of buttered bread.

Duo gave him a look of apology. "Look, I appreciate it. Really, I do. But I'm just not up to eating anything yet. You go ahead, though. I'm sure you must be hungry."

"I'd feel better if you at least tried eating just a little." At the stubborn shake of the braided head Heero gave up trying to coax Duo into eating and sat on the sofa after the other man shifted his legs to the side to make room for him. He picked up his bowl, resting on a plate, and carefully helped himself to the steaming hot vegetable soup.

"Guess that could be considered the worst date ever," Duo said, obviously still sulking over what he considered a ruined afternoon.

Heero looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "It could have been much worse. But all in all, it served its purpose, so don't worry about it."

"Served its purpose?" Duo frowned. "How?"

Heero studied the other man, deciding that most of the swelling on Duo's face had gone down and his coloring had returned to normal. Other than his messed hair, still unbrushed after swimming, he thought Duo looked pretty good. "They, or at least one of our friends, observed us in the water together."

"Don't remind me," Duo groaned, embarrassed that now someone else knew that he couldn't swim.

"I think the scene they intruded on should convince them that we're serious about this dating business. You displayed your trust in me by confiding that you couldn't swim and then allowed me to try to teach you. They'll see that as another sign that we're really..." He paused to think of the correct term, then with a slight grin added, "into each other."

"Damn, Heero," Duo blinked with surprise, then chuckled despite his earlier moodiness. "You're sounding more and more like me every day. 'Into each other', heh?"

"Is there a better way to say it?" Heero questioned with a tilt of his head.

The man reclining on several blue and white striped pillows thought a moment, then answered. "No, I guess you're right. We're trying to convince everyone that we're 'into each other', otherwise known as seriously dating and exclusive."

Heero nodded. "I think they might have also read something into my carrying you out of the pool room frantically yelling for help." Those deep blue eyes bore into Duo's own as Heero further confessed, "I really was frightened for you."

Duo held his breath. Heero was rarely frightened by anything, so his admitting to having been afraid for his welfare seemed to indicate that he truly did care for him. He was deeply touched by Heero's admission. "I was scared for me too," he admitted softly, his smile a little forced as he recalled again those anxious moments when he struggled to breathe past his swelling throat and tongue. "For a while there I really thought I was going to die."

"But you didn't." Heero smiled, his eyes strangely bright, and Duo couldn't resist smiling back. "No I didn't. I'm still hanging around, defying death and ready to wreak havoc on the world."

Heero laughed. "I thought you left behind those warnings of impending doom once the wars ended."

With a shrug and weak grin, Duo replied, "Some things are just kind of hard to let go of." Like his long-time crush on the Japanese boy in spandex shorts, tank top and more courage than anyone he'd ever met.

Heero appeared to pause in thought for a moment, then nodded, apparently agreeing with his statement. Duo didn't know what Heero was thinking, but thought that perhaps the other man also had something or someone in his past that was hard to let go of. Most likely his gundam, Wing Zero, he thought.

Duo turned his attention to the television and turned up the volume on the late evening news while Heero ate the rest of his meal and then removed the tray from the coffee table, carrying it back into the kitchen. A loud rumbling suddenly erupted from his empty stomach, causing Duo to fold his arms tightly around that complaining area in order to muffle the sound while shooting a quick glance at the kitchen door, hoping Heero didn't hear the evidence of his hunger. He knew it was irrational, his being afraid to eat, but the events of that afternoon had shaken him to the core. One simple bite of shellfish, that he didn't even swallow, had almost killed him. Of course he hadn't known about his allergy, and it had only been fantastic luck on his part that Trowa had recognized that he was going into anaphylactic shock and that he also happened to have the epinephrine in the house for his own allergy to bee stings. Could there be any doubt in anyone's mind that he would have died if not for Trowa's quick response? The reality of how close he came to dying because of something so little, so stupid, weighed heavy on his thoughts. What if he accidentally ate something with clam juice or oyster sauce? Would he die in such an undignified way on some restaurant floor, writhing on the carpet, gasping for his last breath while everybody watched, helpless to save him? He shuddered at the vision his mind provided of such a death and huddled into himself. After surviving all that he had to come to such an ignominious end was unthinkable, and yet events of that day proved it was also possible.

Heero paused in the doorway of the kitchen to casually lean on the doorframe while he dried his hands on a kitchen towel. Seeing the braided man huddled into himself he asked in a concerned voice, "What are you thinking?"

Duo tried to shake off his worries, but found that he couldn't. He told Heero of his fears, of eating something in a restaurant that might trigger another allergic reaction, maybe a deadly one.

"You'll simply have to be a bit more careful now and follow Sally's instructions: read labels, menus, ask about ingredients used as well as obtain and wear a medic alert bracelet and carry epinephrine. Since you don't enjoy seafood, it really shouldn't be much of a problem."

Duo nodded, hoping Heero was right. Heero always sounded so calm and confident, something that he'd tried to emulate, but right now he was having some problems with believing everything was going to be all right.

Still in the kitchen doorway, Heero spoke up again, thankfully changing the subject. "Why don't you take my bed tonight and I'll sleep out here on the sofa," he offered.

"Absolutely not!" Duo replied decisively, though he was grateful for Heero distracting him from his own worried thoughts. "I'm intruding on your space so it's only right that I sleep on the couch."

"You're not intruding, Duo, and I'd really prefer that you to sleep in a bed tonight. In fact," Heero paused as a thoughtful expression crossed his face, "my bed is large enough that we could both sleep comfortably in it, that is if you don't mind sharing."

Just the idea of trying to sleep in a bed with Heero lying so wonderfully close beside him set off warning alarms in his head. His body was saying, _Yes, you fool, go for it_; but his mind was yelling,_ Are you a masochist or just crazy_? "Um.. Thanks, but I'd really prefer sleeping right where I am." The lifting of his chin told the other man that he was going to be stubborn about this.

Heero sighed, giving in rather than continuing the argument. "All right, but if you need anything, you'll call out for me, right?"

Duo smiled, pleased to have won this round. "Yeah, sure I will."

"Just let me finish up in here and then I'll get you some more blankets." Heero disappeared into the kitchen for several moments and then the light in that room went out for the night. He came out and immediately went down the hall to the bedroom only to return a few moments later carrying two blankets. "This should keep you warm enough," he said as he set them both down on the coffee table. Then one by one he snapped them open and gently placed each on top of Duo's reclining form. All the while, the braided man remained still and stared in disbelief at the other man's actions.

"Are you actually tucking me in?" he asked, somewhat incredulous at this first-time-in-his-adult-life experience.

Heero merely looked up and shrugged his shoulders, "Just being a good host," he explained, and then he smiled in a way that reminded Duo once again that his friend was a hell of a good looking man.

"What, no story, warm milk or a kiss goodnight?" the braided man teased, then batted his eyes, affecting a look of innocence.

Heero, whose face was now very close, looked into his eyes and answered in a low, suggestive voice, "I'll heat the milk if you really want it, and we can consider the movie we watched earlier your story, and this..." He paused to lean forward and momentarily placed his lips on the tip of Duo's pert nose. "... is your kiss." He then straightened and stood in front of the sofa and said, "Unless you can think of anything else you might need, I guess we're set for the night and I'll turn in. Do you want me to turn off the light on my way out?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. And, Heero? Thanks again, I really appreciate this. Sleep well, okay?"

There was a moment of hesitation on Heero's part as he watched Duo pull the blankets up to his chin and curl onto his side. When it appeared there was little more that he could do for the other man that night, he turned and moved to the lamp on the end table and turned it off. After that the room's only light came by way of the television.

Watching Heero leave the room, Duo immediately and keenly felt the other man's absence. He lay in the darkened room, ignoring the television show that was on, and thought about the events of that morning before he finally drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, he re-lived his near disaster all over again, though the dreams were hardly accurate. Unquestionably, the best part of his dream was of Heero, posing by the swimming pool in his little swim trunks, his blue eyes sparkling with some unknown emotion and wearing a mischievous grin on his handsome face. Yet that pleasant part of his dreaming was short lived and replaced by the worst of his nightmares, which featured a large, unappealing blob of shellfish being forced into his mouth. The breaded morsel suddenly morphed from a small, inedible piece of food into a heinous creature, sprouting arms like a lobster with angry, beady eyes that flared red like his gundam used to. The fearsome creature suddenly leapt from Heero's open hand and made a dive for his face, latching onto it and covering his nose and mouth entirely and commenced sucking the breath out of him. He woke up gasping for air and struggling to breathe just as he had that afternoon. He immediately scrambled for the lamp on the table behind him and fumbling, turned it on, glad for the bright light which helped diminish the lingering vision of his nightmare. Needless to say, sleep was very hard to come by for the rest of the night, and the light on the end table as well as the television remained on until Heero rose from his bed the next morning.

**Tbc**

Author's note: Thanks again everyone, for commenting and for your patience. I used to be happily unemployed, with hours to spend writing and reading fanfiction. That's not the case anymore, but I am trying to write and post as often as I can. Even then, it's incredibly difficult to type with a puppy biting my hands and jumping on my laptop. So if you see some odd mistakes, blame it on Roo, my itty, bitty demon pup.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Deal  
Part 8**

The office on Monday morning was abuzz with the news that Preventer Maxwell had almost died from some kind of food poisoning at the home of his close friends, the Winner-Bartons. Though he felt a lot better, Duo knew he wasn't quite one-hundred percent, but he did manage to correct the misinformation whenever he was asked about the incident, telling the enquirer he'd had an allergic reaction to shellfish.

After receiving concerned greetings from his friends and the older agents that shared their office, he moved to sit down at his desk. There he was surprised to find an assortment of items, all relating to his new-found allergy. Neatly printed and stapled together was a list of foods that he should absolutely avoid. Included were items from Asian restaurants listed that normally contained some type of juice from a shellfish. In an envelope he found a medical ID bracelet stating his name, allergy, and medical contact numbers. A small case with the needed drug that would save his life in case he did accidentally ingest something he was allergic to was also in the envelope. It was small enough that he could easily carry it in his pocket.

"I gave a copy of the list to the others so that each of us will be on the look out for foods to avoid when we're dining out together." Duo looked up to Heero, standing at the side of his desk and motioning toward the paper in front of him.

"When did you do all of this?" he asked, astonished by Heero's thoughtful yet unexpected gifts.

"I made some calls on Sunday morning, thinking that you might find these to be helpful."

Duo swallowed the lump in his throat, deeply touched that Heero would go to such efforts on his behalf. His heart was swelling with his ever-growing love for the other man. This was the kind of person he'd been waiting for: someone who could look out for his best interests; someone who genuinely cared for his welfare; someone who stirred his blood, his passion, and who could make the olive green Preventer pants and jacket look so damn sexy. _I love him_, he finally admitted to himself, finding he could no longer deny it. With that thought dominating his mind, he could only hope that he'd managed to utter a sincere sounding thank you to Heero instead of blurting out his inner-most feelings. Whatever came out, the other man gave him a knee-melting smile and turned to make the short trek back to his own desk.Duo watched him go, thinking,_ If only you cared for me as more than a friend_. With a sigh he switched on his computer and mentally amended that wish, _If only you could love me as much as I love you_, _I would be the happiest man on Earth_. Though it took a great deal of effort on his part, Duo set aside his own personal drama for the moment and turned his attention to his most pressing case.

A half hour later he was still sitting at his desk, in front of his computer with his head resting on his upraised hand, not really seeing anything that was on the screen as thoughts of the day before filled his mind. After a terrible, nightmare-filled night, Heero had come out from his room to find him staring mindlessly and bleary-eyed at the television screen, his bloodshot eyes were evidence of his need for a good night's sleep and his growling stomach was complaining from the lack of food. Heero correctly sized-up the situation then promptly dragged him into the kitchen, sat him in a chair at the table and proceeded to make him breakfast. Pancakes, his favorite, made from scratch. His host announced each and every ingredient that went into the bowl, making sure he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that no shellfish or oil were used in the preparation. After studying the label of the syrup, he dug into the large, fluffy stack with gusto. Pancakes had never tasted so good.

He dozed on the sofa while Heero tidied his apartment and saw to his laundry. The phone rang several times and Heero told him later that their friend had called inquiring about his welfare. At lunch time his friend made sandwiches and together, and just to assuage his anxiety, they once again they studied the labels of the packaged meat, bread, mayonnaise and mustard. It was a given that the lettuce, tomato and onion, as well as the fresh fruit served on the side, were shellfish free. With each meal he fixed with Heero his fear of eating seemed to diminish.

Feeling he had imposed on Heero hospitality long enough, he drove himself home around three in the afternoon, but not without making a promise that he would fix and eat something for his dinner. He kept that promise, though it was at eleven that night when he finally broke down and scrambled himself some eggs.

It was close to noon when the routine of the office had settled back to what was considered normal, much to the relief of everyone who shared the small space. A call came in fifteen minutes before lunch that required Trowa and Heero to leave. Though their exit was rather hasty, Heero paused long enough to crouch down by Duo's side and quietly reminded him to eat something for lunch, suggesting his usual turkey and provolone cheese sandwich from Roberto's.

Duo watched Heero leave, feeling the usual let down he associated with being left behind when any of his friends worked out in the field without him. Only this time the feeling was much more intense and not so easily put off. Heero and Trowa's exit was followed a few minutes later by agents Byrd and Kurhle taking their lunch. With the four men gone, an unusual quiet fell over the normally active room as Duo returned to his work, writing up a list of suspects to interview in order to present his case to the director for the go ahead needed to make the first arrests. From the corner of his eye, he saw Wufei pause from his work, straighten his back and look in his direction.

"You look a bit pale," the Chinese agent observed, arms crossing over his chest as he tilted his chair back and rested his foot on an open drawer of his desk. "Are you sure you've recovered enough to be here today?"

Duo looked around his computer in order to fully see the other man. "I'm fine, Wu, but I think I will leave a bit early today. Just not feeling up to par." He returned to his work, aware that the dark eyes were still focused on him.

"How was your date with Yuy, before your body freaked out from a piece of abalone?"

Choosing to ignore the jibe, Duo answered, "We were having a good time up to that point."

"I heard about the Speedo." A sly grin crept up on Wufei's face.

Duo couldn't help the amused snort that escaped him. He remembered that little piece of fabric very well. "No doubt about it, Heero's one of the few guys who can actually carry off wearing something like that."

"It takes some balls to wear such a swimming garment."

Duo peeked around the side edge of his computer again, a smirk on his pale face. "Oh yeah, balls and a whole lot of someth'n else."

Now it was Wufei's turn to give a snort of amusement. "That's as far as I want to go with this conversation," he warned. He then lowered his chair to its proper position, leaned forward on his desk and leveled his most penetrating gaze on his friend. "So you're really serious about Yuy? Things are going well?"

Duo sighed, wondering how to reply to Wufei's honest concern for his welfare. Since lying would only lead to more lies in the future, he decided that the truth was probably the best way to go, but of course not all of the truth. "Yeah, everything's good, I guess. I almost hate to admit it, Wu, but I'm falling hard for him." _Again_, he mentally added. "I'm just not sure how he feels about me."

One questioning dark eyebrow rose. "From what Quatre told me of how events transpired on Saturday, Heero appeared more than alarmed and panicked about your allergic reaction."

"Yeah, well, we're friends. I'm sure he'd react the same way if you, Quatre or Trowa were choking to death on your own swelling tongue."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Wufei said, clearly astonished by Duo's uncertainty regarding Heero's feeling for him. "Think about it, Duo. Yuy panicking? When have you ever before seen that happen?"

Duo paused to seriously think about that quesiton, and it didn't take long for him to come up with an answer. With eyes widening with hope he answered, "Never. I've never seen him panic."

"There you go." Wufei looked down right smug. "Besides, you both assured us you were sincere about dating each other, that it wasn't some practical joke." The look he gave the braided man defied him to back down on that statement. "So why the uncertainty?"

Duo shrugged, feeling only a tiny bit guilty about not telling the complete truth to his friend about the true nature of his and Heero's dating. "I don't know. I guess I've just never felt so strongly for someone before. It's kind of scary, you know?"

The Chinese man's eyes softened into a look of understanding. "Yes, I know, but as far as Heero is concerned I don't think you need to second guess him. While he's frustratingly contained, he's always been straightforward and he has often displayed a certain solicitousness for your welfare and feelings."

"He has?" Duo was genuinely surprised by that information.

There was that smile again, the one that indicated Wufei knew something he didn't. "Just think about it for a moment," his friend advised.

Duo's head tilted to the side as he went through his memories, then as several instances came to mind, he turned his attention back to his ebony-haired friend with a warm, grateful smile he said, "You're a good friend, Wufei. I'm glad you think I'm worth hanging around."

"Of course you're worth it," Wufei snorted as he leaned forward in his chair to turn off his computer. "Come on. Let's get some lunch. How about some clam chowder?"

"Hardy har har," Duo replied sarcastically as he let loose an extra thick and long rubber band he'd been saving for such an occasion. Unfortunately, Wufei chose that exact moment to stand up, presenting a target much lower than his shoulder. He yelped in an unmanly manner a split second after being hit in the crotch by the projectile piece of rubber. Duo's laughter and attempted apologies were mixed in with Wufei's burst of dire threats, and everyone on the same floor of that building exchanged an amused look or snicker, acknowledging that things were back to normal in the well-talked-about corner office.

Heero and Trowa hadn't returned to the office by the end of the work day. Duo didn't think too much about it, other than the fact that he hadn't had much of a chance to speak to Heero that morning. Even though he'd spent much of Saturday and Sunday in Heero's apartment, they hadn't had a chance to plan out their actions for the coming week.

After stopping at the market for a week's worth of groceries and another deli sandwich for dinner, the evening stretched out unbearably for the braided Preventer. Several times he had his hand on the phone with the intent to call Heero, but he stopped short of dialing the other man's number. He frowned. He never hesitated in the past to call Heero or any of the others if he felt inclined to talk to someone, so what had changed to make him second guess himself? With an amused snort he knew how foolish it was to ask himself that question when the answer was glaringly obvious. "Stupid," he scolded himself. He'd thrown himself head first into this agreement with Heero, thinking he'd make the most of it, getting Heero's attention and affection within the safety of an agreement that was all for show. But he'd easily, too easily, fallen in love with his good friend. Heero's kisses were more than he'd expected and his touch, even the innocent brushing of hands, shoulders or thighs, set his blood racing as his heart beat wildly in his chest. Despite Wufei's assuring words earlier that day, he doubted Heero had any deeper feelings for him other than friendship. Sure, he felt Heero's pulse quicken when they kissed, but that was pretty typical for a guy, wasn't it? A physical response to something pleasurable?

He somehow made it through the evening without calling his co-conspirator and, after taking an over-the-counter sleep aid, he went to bed, anxious to find some escape from his fluctuating thoughts and turbulent emotions while sleeping. Being in love, he was discovering, was both the best feeling in the world and the worst.

Tuesday morning found him feeling much better. He went to work an hour early in order to take advantage of the gym, located in the lower levels of the building. He was only ten minutes late when he entered the office, and was surprised to see only Byrd, Kurhle and Wufei there. The Chinese agent looked up at his entrance and quietly bid him a good morning. The other two older agents did likewise, then resumed whatever tasks they were tackling that day.

"Where's Heero and Trowa?" he asked.

Wufei shrugged. "Heero didn't call you?" When Duo shook his head in reply, the other agent added, "I can only guess they had a late night. They'll probably be in later this morning."

Duo nodded, then moved to his own desk and sat down. His not knowing where Heero was probably didn't help the carefully crafted image they projected as being a couple of guys that were crazy about each other. Wouldn't people in a relationship let each other know where they were and their timetable? He could only hope that his slip, indicating a lack of knowledge about Heero's whereabouts, would not be overly scrutinized, putting doubt into the minds of their coworkers about the validity of their relationship.

Sighing as he turned on his computer, he couldn't help but think that Heero not calling him in advance to tell him what was going on was a clear indication that he didn't feel anything more for him than friendship. He mentally kicked himself in the ass once again for allowing his feelings for Heero to get out of hand. He knew this charade and tumble back into his former crush on Heero would eventually lead to his being hurt, but he found himself at a loss on how to stop it from happening.

It was a little after ten that morning when Director Une sauntered into the office. After an appraising glance around the room, she directed her comments to the two former gundam pilots. "The assignment I sent Heero and Trowa on yesterday became a bit more involved than I previously anticipated. They've followed the suspected arms dealers out of the country and may be gone for a week or two."

"Has Quatre been informed?" Duo asked, worrying about his friend remaining ignorant of Trowa's absence and knowing the blond would worry himself sick from if he wasn't informed.

"Of course. Barton made contact with him as they boarded the plane."

That information left Duo feeling like he'd been sucker-punched. While it was thoughtful for Trowa to call Quatre, he couldn't help but wonder why Heero hadn't thought to do the same for him? They had a deal, after all, to look like a love sick, devoted couple. Didn't Heero realize that he'd be worried about him just as much as Quatre was for Trowa? _But of course he didn't_, he reminded himself. _Our relationship is a fake. Why should Heero think I'd be worried or upset by his absence?_

"How's your case on T'sung and Zumatto going, Duo?" the director asked, turning her full attention to him. "Have you be able to identify where they're purchasing the drugs and explosives from, and who's receiving them?"

Shoving his hurt aside, Duo turned to his boss, all business. "I'm getting close. I've gone over the airport records and it appears that the cartel has several mules in their employ that carry extra baggage as they board trains going out of China. I'm not sure how they're passing customs, but they could have someone in that agency on their payroll. It appears the four people we've identified so far travel mainly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm going through the employment records and schedules of the customs officers to see if anyone stands out."

"How soon do you estimate having some answers for me?"

"A couple of day, four tops," he answered.

"Very good. Wufei," she turned her attention to the other man as she walked up to his desk. "How is your investigation of Dymar Schrumm going? Can we prove he's taking kickbacks from the military?"

Duo shut out the conversation going on between the other two and returned to the case files before him. He sighed at the large stack of files concerning the drug lords at the center of his investigation. This case was of vital importance, with months of man-hours already spent in gathering evidence and building a case before any arrests could be made. He couldn't afford to spend time worrying about his private life when the lives of hundreds, maybe even thousands, rested on having these criminals brought to justice. At least with Heero out of the office he'd be able to concentrate on the important task before him, or so he thought.

As soon as he set foot through the door of his apartment that evening, he went to his phone and dialed his blond friend. He was frustrated as hell about his inability to concentrate at work and he needed some distraction to dispel some of his inner turmoil. Quatre's answering machine picked up his call. With an irritated huff he left his message, trying his best to not sound anxious or needy. "Hey, Quat. I was thinking that since the both of us are on our own tonight, why don't we get together and grab some dinner. Give me a call if you're up for it, all right? Talk to you later, pal."

Hanging up the phone he felt a deep sense of disappointment drag him down. Jerking loose the knot in his tie and pulling the hated piece of fabric from out of his shirt collar, he draped it over the back of the couch. Making his way to the kitchen, he untucked his shirt and unbuttoned it, making himself much more comfortable. He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and a can of salty mixed nuts from the cupboard. After carefully studying the listed contents of both, he returned to the living room to watch some television while he waited for his blond friend to return his call.

Two hours later, at approximately eight fifteen, the awaited call finally came. "Hi, Duo. Sorry I'm late in returning your message, I just got home," Quatre said in greeting, sounding tired.

"No problem," Duo said with a lazy smile as he set his bottle of beer down, lining it up in a row with the other four, standing like little soldiers on his coffee table. He hiccupped and then giggled.

"Duo? Are you alright?"

"Um fine. Just drank one beer too many on an empty... hiccup ...stomach."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. "Is something the matter? You could have called me at the office if you had a problem."

Duo snorted in response. "Noooo problem, least not at the moment." He chuckled once again. "Feel kind of good, act...ually."

"I don't have to remind you that this is a work night, do I?"

"Nope. It's Tuuuesday. I 'member that."

"Heaven help us," Quatre said with a weary sigh. "Listen, Duo. I want you to go to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. I'm just going to change my clothes and I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Ya don't hafta," Duo snorted. "You've had a buss-ssy day. Got better things to do than come over here. You're tired. Go to bed."

"I don't think so," the blond replied. "I'll only be about twenty minutes. Where are you?"

"Um... my place."

"No, I meant where in your apartment are you?"

"Couch."

"Can you stand?"

"Been walkin' since I can remember, Quat. Of course I can ssstand."

"Then do it. I want you to get up, go to the kitchen and make me a pot of coffee. Then I want you to drink a cup, alright?"

"Thought you liked tea."

"Tonight I want coffee."

"Umkay," came the lazy but happy-sounding response.

"Are you standing?"

"Ya want me to do that now?"

"Yes. Stand up and then tell me if you can keep your balance."

Duo did as requested with the phone plastered to his ear, though it took him a bit longer to get to his feet than he'd anticipated. He swayed slightly, and slowly a smile broke out on his face as he happily announced, "I'm up and headed towards the kitchen."

"Alright. Hang up the phone and whatever you do, don't burn yourself."

"Don't burn yourself," Duo repeated with a chuckle, finding the warning funny. "Quat. Hey, Quat, you there?" It took a moment for him to realize the phone line was dead. The inebriated man took the phone from his ear to look at it before he decided there was nothing wrong with it, but that his friend had hung up. He put the phone down, not even noticing that it had missed the end of the table and had fallen to the floor. Not even noticing the soft thump, he turned and walked a bit haltingly towards the kitchen where he found the lights to be much too bright, so he turned them off.

Half an hour later the two friends were sitting on the sofa, both holding a mug of hot coffee in their hands. "Drink up," the blond said encouragingly, studying his braided friend with concern.

Duo sipped at the hot brew, suddenly feeling very sleepy. He persevered with Quatre's encouragement until the mug was nearly empty, then set it down on the coffee table next to the empty bottles of beer. He sort of leaned, then fell against the back of the couch and rested his head against the top of the cushion.

"What's going on, Duo? You don't usually drink more than one beer, and never during the work week. Is something bothering you? Are you having nightmares about last weekend?"

"Nightmares?" A cinnamon eyebrow rose along with his question. He thought about the picture set in his mind of Heero in his Speedo. Yeah, maybe he was having nightmares, as well as hot daydreams. "Kinda. Not exactly."

"I'm sure talking about it will make you feel better."

"Doubt it," he answered sullenly.

"Did something happen between you and Heero while you stayed at his place?"

Duo shook his head and waved his hand, dismissing that suggestion. That same hand then went to his head as the room began to spin. "No, nothing like that. Heero was the perfect host. Guess I just came to the conclusion that I care for him more than he cares for me, that's all. It's stupid, really. Happens all the time."

The blond frowned. "Not necessarily. What's led you to believe that he doesn't have the same amount of regard for you that you have for him?"

"You love Trowa?"

"Of course I do."

"He loves you?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

The blond gave his friend an exasperated look. "Duo, what's this about?"

"Did he call you before he left town to tell you he was leaving?"

"Of course. He knows I worry."

"That's love," Duo firmly stated.

"It's a great part of it," Quatre replied with caution, not knowing where Duo was going with the conversation. "Being considerate of your partner's feelings is part of a good relationship. Is Heero's absence the cause for your feeling so badly?"

Duo folded his arms over his chest and seemed to be sulking as he replied, "Don't feel bad."

"Maybe not now," Quatre scoffed. "But just wait until tomorrow."

"Who cares about tomorrow, or if it ever comes?"

Now the blond was really becoming alarmed. He rarely witnessed the usually good-natured man sounding so pessimistic. Setting his mug down, Quatre moved closer to his despondent friend and put his arm around his shoulders. "I care that tomorrow comes, Duo, and I care that today something went wrong and made you want to get drunk. Tell me what happened so I can help."

"Can't help," Duo said, lowering his chin to his chest as he slumped to the side, leaning into the blond's body. Then in a voice barely audible he said, "He didn't call."

The blond frowned. "What? Who didn't call?"

"Heero."

"He didn't call you?"

Duo nodded. "He didn't call to tell me he was going and he hasn't checked in; he doesn't care, doesn't love me like I love him."

Quatre rubbed Duo's arm, the only place where his trapped hand could reach, hoping to console him with his touch as he couldn't seem to come up with words that would make his friend's hurt lessen. "You've only been dating a short time, Duo. Isn't it a bit too early to expect a declaration of love from Heero?"

"I love him."

"I know."

"Have for a long time."

"Yes."

"It hurts, Quat, that he doesn't... doesn't love me back."

"I'm sure he has strong feelings for you, Duo, as evidenced by his actions towards you lately. I think he's been making great efforts to show you he cares. Remember, Heero has always been one to mask the depth of his emotions."

Unlike Quatre, Duo knew exactly why Heero had been acting the way he had lately. It was all about the deal they'd made, and even in his drunken state he knew he couldn't tell his consoling friend that little fact or it would ruin everything. With a disgruntled sigh he said, "He would have called if he really cared."

"Maybe, but it could be Heero didn't know he was supposed to call. He hasn't had much experience with relationships before so he might not have realized you would be worried. Did he ever tell you where he was going before you started dating?"

Duo thought about it, and it was a slow process as his mind just didn't seem to want to focus. "I don't think so."

"See. He's just not used to telling anyone. I'm sure it was just an oversight on his part."

Duo sat in Quatre's comforting embrace, trying hard to believe his friend, but that little voice in his head kept telling him he had been a fool to have allowed himself to be in a situation where he could fall in love with Heero all over again. He rubbed at his temple, feeling the beginning of a headache forming. He was drunk, and he knew he had to shut up before he spilled his guts to the caring blond.

"I think I need to go to bed, sleep this off," he said, hoping to call an end to his little moping session.

"I think I'll stay the night," Quatre announced.

"No. Go home, Quat. I'll be fine. I'm going to sleep like the dead. Just give me a call in the morning to make sure I get up for work, K?"

"I don't know, Duo. I'd feel better if you let me stay."

"Don't need no babysitter," Duo replied, a bit too loud.

"Duo..." The blond's voice was just at the edge of pleading.

"No!" Duo firmly interrupted him, then abruptly softened his voice. "Please, Quat. I appreciate ya comin', but I just wanna go to bed."

The blond's sigh was a sign that he was caving in to the request. "All right, I'll go. What time do you want me to call in the morning?"

Duo paused, his brow wrinkled as he tried to recall what time he usually woke up. "Seven," he answered.

Quatre slowly disentangled himself from his friend, then stood and helped Duo do the same, with his arms out to catch the wobbling man if he stumbled. "I'll see myself out as soon as I see you to your room."

Not wanting to argue any more, Duo allowed himself to be led back to his room. Once there, Quatre left his side to turn on the lights and fold back the covers on his bed. The inebriated man made it to his adjoining bathroom and paused under the framework of that room's door to warn his well-intentioned friend, "You better not be here when I come out, Quatre. I'm not in the mood to be tucked into bed. Got it?"

Putting his hands up in a sign of surrender, Quatre backed up in the direction of the bedroom door. "I'm going. Just don't sleep in your clothes and I'll call you at seven. Night, Duo." And with that said, the Winner heir made good his escape. At the click of the front door, Duo's body relaxed and he turned into the bathroom to prepare for bed. He could only hope that the alcohol would hold back all of his dreams, especially those pertaining to attacking shellfish and Heero's Speedo-covered ass.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

The Deal  
Part 9

Despite his throbbing headache and sour stomach, Duo raced to the Preventers' Building the next morning. He'd been awakened at seven by Quatre as promised, but instead of a cheerful greeting his friend sounded unusually grim and had urged him to turn on the television. As the picture blinked on, it was clear that something catastrophic had happened. The reporter was in the foreground speaking of an explosion and of immediate rescue efforts. Behind him were smoldering ruins of some unknown building with men and women in various uniforms racing back and forth, soot and grim expressions darkening their faces.

With the phone to his ear, he listened as Quatre told him what had transpired: that the Parliament building in London, the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow had all been the target of long-range rocket launchers. No responsibility for the attacks had been announced and the estimated damage and death toll were yet to be announced.

Duo quickly showered, dressed and drove to Preventers in record time. The questions foremost in his mind were, who could have arranged the simultaneous attacks and why? What was the unknown group's agenda? Upon checking in at the front desk, he was directed by the sober faced guard to go immediately to Director Une's office. Once there, Dorothy Catalonia, now Une's secretary/sharp-tongued guard dog, promptly ushered him inside. Though she showed none of the emotional turmoil that seemed to be present on the faces of everyone he'd passed on the streets and in the building, he detected a glint of worry in her eyes as she opened to door to Une's inner office and motioned him inside.

Wufei, Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucretia Noin were already in attendance, and as soon as he'd taken the one free chair left, Director Une began the meeting. She basically had no more information on the three bombings than what the press had reported that morning. Initial government reports indicated that the attacks appeared to be simultaneous, well thought out and coordinated, carried out by one or more undisclosed groups who were evidently well financed and organized enough to be able to pull off late evening assaults on guarded government buildings. With that conjecture the Preventers found reason enough to become involved in the investigation

She turned to each of her agents with their new assignments. Duo was to leave immediately for Washington, D.C. as Preventers' explosives expert to officially offer his assistance to the F.B.I. Likewise, Noin was going to London and Milliardo to Moscow with the same directive. Wufei would head the upgrading of security in Sanq's government buildings as well as Preventer Headquarters, aided by Heero and Trowa after they returned from their current assignment, which was being handed over to other field agents. The two absent Preventers would spend the morning briefing their replacement team regarding their case before returning to headquarters later that evening.

After they were dismissed, Duo walked quickly to his office with Wufei at his shoulder. His worries and insecurities from the day before were now a thing of the past, and his embarrassment from having blabbered his feelings about Heero to Quatre was something he no longer had time to dwell on. How trivial his problems now seemed in light of the morning's disastrous news. Still, it was a relief to have something important to divert his attention away from Heero and their so-called relationship. He swore to himself never to drink that much beer on an empty stomach again. More than three beers consistently turned him into an emotional pendulum, swinging from a happy-go-lucky guy to a weepy sap, the mood swings shifting rapidly from one extreme to the other. He'd poured his heart out to Quatre and was now deeply embarrassed by his emotional breakdown. He'd apologize to the blond when he returned from Washington, D.C.

"Keep in touch," the Chinese agent reminded his fellow Preventer as they neared the office at the end of the hall.

"Will do," Duo replied distractedly, his mind already turning to the task ahead of him and desperately wanting to get a hold of the bottle of aspirin in his desk drawer for his throbbing headache.

"Do you want to leave a message for Heero?"

Now there was the million dollar question. Should he return Heero's insensitivity or should he be the better man and leave a note? He again recalled parts of his conversation with Quatre the night before, and now that he was sober, the idea that perhaps Heero didn't know any better seemed more plausible. Aware that Wufei was waiting for his answer, he realized that whatever his response was it would send a clear message to the office gossip mill about how his and Heero's relationship was going. Appearance was crucial to their plan continuing successfully.

"Ah, yeah. I'll take a moment to jot something down and leave it on his desk."

Walking together into the shared office, they found it empty. Wufei mumbled that Byrd and Kurhle were probably in the break room watching the latest news reports along with most of the world's population. Duo sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. As it booted up, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket to remove his wallet and set it on the top of his desk. He quickly made a search of the net, typed in the pertinent information required, removed his credit card from his wallet and charged his selected purchases to his account. Less than five minutes later his computer was off and a hastily scribbled note was set on Heero's desk, awaiting his return. After a brief embrace, he bid Wufei a quick goodbye then turned and rushed out of the room, his laptop encased in its satchel and hanging from his shoulder. He had one hour to return to his apartment, pack and make it to the airport for his long flight to the United States.

A bit blurry-eyed from having gotten very little sleep the night before, Agent Yuy walked into the Preventers' building the morning after his late-night return at precisely 7:55 a.m. It was good to be back, he thought to himself. He checked in with the security desk, then proceeded up the stairs, silently looking forward to seeing Duo and carrying on where they'd left off. The deal they'd made was working out better than he ever thought possible. He was a bit worried though. Apparently Duo had been upset by something, because Quatre had left several voice mail messages for Trowa, instructing him to have Heero call Duo and to be prepared to grovel. He'd not spoken to Duo since his hasty departure from the office - the case they were on didn't allow them time for personal calls - but he was pretty sure he hadn't said or done anything wrong.

After delivering Quatre's message, Trowa asked him why he hadn't called Duo when it became clear that they would have to follow their suspects out of the country. He thought about that question, and wondered if that was the reason why Duo was upset. He'd said a proper goodbye in the office, and that had always been acceptable in the past. Yet as he thought of it, he realized that Trowa was always on the phone or emailing Quatre about everything that transpired in the office and in the lives of their friends and coworkers. He began to worry that he'd dropped the ball, as Duo would say. But if frequent communication was vital to the appearance of being a couple, why hadn't Duo called him or at least left a message?

He was still pondering the complexity of relationships when he entered the large office to find Wufei and agent Kurhle working intently at their desks. He figured Duo must be out with Trowa, getting the first round of morning coffee and tea. He wondered if buying Duo a chocolate filled croissant at break would be an acceptable way of apologizing for any possible lapse on his part.

With a wave of his hand, greeting the other two, Heero went straight to his desk only to stop in front of it and stare down in confusion at the unusual object sitting there. A large, green potted plant was sitting in the middle of his desk and next to it was a folded piece of white paper with his name written on it in Duo's handwriting. Picking the paper up, he opened it and read the contents, his smile fading. Why hadn't anyone told him that Duo was out on assignment, in Washington, D.C., no less, helping to investigate the bombing? The note explained not only where Duo had gone, but that the plant on his desk, a rather exotic looking thing, was a gift for him. Duo had written something vaguely romantic on the card, which Heero guessed was for the benefit of their constant observers. Basically, he asked Heero to water the plant daily and to think of him each time he performed the task. The note went on to say that each day they were apart, something would be sent to him by courier, each gift a reminder that Duo was thinking of him also.

"So what's it say?" Trowa asked with interest as he walked through the open doorway with agent Byrd, both carrying disposable cups in each hand. A knowing grin was on the taller man's face as he spied the note in his hand, suggesting to Heero that Trowa had a pretty good idea about the contents of the note. All the better, he thought. Things would be so much easier if their closest friends truly believed he and Duo were together.

Giving the questioning man a careless shrug, he put the note in the top drawer of his desk and pushed the plant to the left corner where it wouldn't be in the way but would remain in eyesight. He removed the plastic tab from the dark soil and read the instructions on how to care for his gift. It didn't seem to be too difficult to care for, though he might have to move it into direct sunlight in the afternoon. With any luck he wouldn't accidentally kill it before Duo returned.

"That's rather romantic of Maxwell," Wufei's voice cut into his thoughts, and Heero wondered if their Chinese friend had read the note in his absence. "He's full of surprises, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Heero answered as he sat down at his desk and gave his friend a lopsided smirk as he booted up his computer. His eyes turned to the large plant, admiring it's green, boat-shaped leaves and several long stalk that stretched up from the center with a large bud on each tip.

"Looks like a Bird of Paradise."

"A what?" He looked up at Trowa as the other man set down what he could only presume to be his morning cup of tea.

"The plant. If I'm not mistaken it's called a Bird of Paradise," Trowa answered just before he took a sip of his own hot beverage.

"Sounds exotic."

"Tropical. Maybe Duo's planning on an island honeymoon."

Heero blinked, surprised by Trowa's comment. The words "Duo" and "honeymoon" had never before, at least in his experience, been used together. The mental image of Duo on a tropical beach with his hair blowing in the warm breeze, his body tanned from hours of lying on the beach, a wedding band glistening on his ring finger certainly wasn't an unpleasant daydream. He looked up at his friend, still standing in front of his desk, and smiled.

"An island, mountain or desert, it doesn't matter where we go as long as he's willing." It was comical to watch those green eyes widen in surprise and for the room to become silent enough to hear agent Byrd swallow. It wasn't often that Heero, who normally kept private matters to himself, managed to startle his fellow agents.

Appearing to be at a loss for words, Trowa turned and moved towards his own desk, supposedly to finish his coffee before the three former gundam pilots were scheduled to inspect the judicial and parliament buildings as well as the newly re-constructed royal palace for security flaws.

Two hectic and exhausting weeks passed quickly since Heero's return and Duo's departure and despite the in-depth analyzing, the rigorous tightening of security and the heavy, dark pall that continued to hang in the air following the attacks, the office somehow managed without the indomitable Duo Maxwell being present. As promised, Heero was presented with a packaged gift each work day, delivered by mail or a carrier. Possibly because they needed something bright in their lives when things in the world seemed to be going so horribly wrong, the anticipated arrival of his daily gifts seemed to be the highlight of everyone's day. Heero had received chocolates and other candy, packages of his favorite tea, incense, tickets to an upcoming hockey game, a gift certificate for a restaurant in town, and other very thoughtful gifts that generally stayed away from being too intimate in nature.

To say their fellow agents were impressed by Duo's thoughtfulness was a gross understatement. The whole building seemed abuzz with talk of the two top Preventers' love affair and the wonderful gifts Maxwell had sent in his absence. Heero felt badly that he hadn't been as thoughtful when he'd been away. It just hadn't occurred to him that giving gifts in such a way was acceptable between two men; but from Duo's example he had learned a new lesson and he had every intention of reciprocating his "boyfriend's" showy courtship as soon as he returned.

The announcement came over the television that the FBI, in conjunction with the Preventer organization and local law enforcement, had arrested several suspects in connection with the rockets launched in Washington, D.C. The names and faces of those men and women being charged were released, as well as their part in smuggling the illegal arms into that country.

Shortly after that announcement, Director Une issued a statement that Preventer Agent Maxwell had turned the remainder of the investigation over to the investigative agencies of the United States, with promises to coordinate any further findings from agents Noin and Zechs, still out in the field.

A call came to Heero's desk five minutes after that welcomed announcement was made. Heero answered, and those who happened to glance his way saw an uncharacteristically bright smile growing on his face as Duo announced he was on his way home. With everyone in the office listening to his every word, Heero made arrangements to meet Duo at the airport. His flight would arrive at eleven p.m. that evening. He hung up the phone with the smile on his face as the told the others. It had been good to hear the other man's voice again. His eyes rose to catch a glimpse of his fellow agents and chuckled after realizing their broad, relieved smiles matched his own. It appeared that everyone else had missed Duo's presence as much as he had. There was no doubt now, after all the gifts and notes he'd received from the braided agent during the past two weeks, that everyone believed he and Duo were what they claimed to be, devoted boyfriends. They were home free... well, almost. There was only one more thing he had to pull off in order to insure their erstwhile matchmakers left them alone forever.

Unfortunately, he had to put off his plan to speak with Duo on his arrival because he had company when he drove to the airport that evening. Wufei had invited himself along, stating he wanted to run his security improvements by Duo to see if he could add anything else to what they'd already done. Heero could have taken that comment as an insult because he and Trowa had used their own expertise while working right alongside the Chinese man to increase security within the Preventer buildings and Sanq's government offices in general, but he didn't. He wasn't sure what Wufei was up to, but he saw his excuse to accompany him for the ruse that it was.

Half way to the airport, Heero determined to find out the real reason for Wufei's company. "Do you want to tell me why you decided to come to the airport with me tonight?" And then he rushed to add, " And don't say it's to run things past Duo that we've already dealt with. We both know that's not the reason." Getting to the point was always the best approach with Wufei.

The black-haired man pulled his black jacket together as if he were cold, so Heero turned up the car's heater and waited for an answer.

With a somber tone to his voice, Wufei admonished, "Don't play him, Heero."

"What?"

"You heard me. Don't think you've had me fooled. I know this dating business is something the both of you cooked up to get people off your backs in regards to setting you up."

"How would you know that? Did Duo say something to you?" Heero spared a glance away from the road to glare at the other man, but Wufei was never intimidated by that tactic.

"The timing gave it away. You have to admit it was a bit suspect that your interest in Duo began after his tirade which resulted from Quatre trying to set him up with his sister. And of course I've spoken with Duo, he's my friend, but he didn't said anything that would give the game away. I've watched the both of you for a long time and know you well enough to have guessed what was going on. I can also see that this isn't just a game, at least not to Duo. You're treading dangerous ground, Heero, and I don't want either of you to get hurt. You and Duo are family to us, and if either of you are hurt, then we hurt as well."

"Do Trowa and Quatre share your suspicions?"

"I've not spoken to them about this, other than Quatre telling me that Duo got drunk off his ass when you didn't call or tell him that you'd left the country on assignment. You do know how he felt about you during the wars, don't you?"

Heero nodded. "I know he tried to be my friend, even when I made it difficult for him."

"It's really not my place to tell, Heero, but I think someone should say something before this farce goes any further. Duo was in love with you back then."

"I know," Heero replied softly, thoughtfully. "He wasn't especially obvious, but I couldn't help but notice how he touched me whenever he could and that his hand always lingered a bit longer than normal. He went out of his way to be a friend to me, he rescued me, patched me up, then fed and cared for me. Even when I stole parts of Deathscythe to fix Wing he forgave me. But the big giveaway was his eyes; even though he never uttered his feelings for me, his eyes gave away his heart."

"Did you not feel the same for him? Is that why you never reciprocated his feelings?"

Heero shook his head. "I was too focused on the mission, driven to live up to the expectations placed on me to complete my objectives and bring a successful conclusion to the war. I lived to that end, Wufei, knowing that when the war was finally over and, if I survived, I could finally reclaim my life. I knew how he felt for me back then, but circumstances dictated that I not encourage him, and truthfully, I didn't know how I felt about him or anyone else. I was somewhat relieved when he first appeared to move on and took an interest in other people."

Silence descended within the confines of the car once more, then after several long moments, Wufei asked the inevitable. "And now?"

"That's between myself and Duo."

"Have you been honest with him?"

Pause. "Not entirely."

"You're insufferable, Yuy," Wufei huffed, clearly annoyed. "If you hurt him again, you'll have the three of us to deal with."

"I have no intention of hurting Duo."

"That, at least, is good to know."

The remainder of the ride to the airport was completed in awkward and total silence.

Duo came through customs ahead of the other passengers, having waved his Preventer identification to the proper authorities. His eyes scanned the waiting area and quickly located his two friends. His smile didn't falter after discovering Wufei standing alongside Heero, though he felt unexpectedly disappointed by his Chinese friend's presence. He had just about worked himself up to the point of confessing his true feelings to Heero, but it seemed fate was telling him to think that decision over once again. He carefully controlled his expression, not wanting Wufei to know he felt any disappointment from his friend's presence.

With his grin fixed, he approached the two. "Hey guys, thanks for picking me up," he said cheerfully. He intended to briefly embrace Wufei and then give their friend a show by hugging Heero for a longer time, maybe whispering in his ear to make it look good, but before he could execute his first move, Heero was on him. With arms of steel wrapping around him, the other man's face became buried in his neck. Loving this unexpected greeting, Duo easily returned the embrace and held the other man tightly until Heero made a move to step back. Now the kiss, even through it didn't include tongue, was something he hadn't anticipated, considering they were standing in a very public place. He thought that if this was the homecoming he could expect from Heero, he might have to go away more often.

The clearing of a throat finally separated them, but only for a brief moment before Heero quickly embraced him again, whispering softly into his ear, "Careful, Wufei's onto us."

Ah, that was the reason for the unexpected show of affection. Disappointed yet again, Duo managed to shove that feeling down in order to step back and glance at their annoyed-looking friend. "Seeing you here is a surprise, Wufei. It's two hours past your regular bedtime. How are you holding up?"

"Well enough, and I'm afraid your information is wrong; it's not my habit to go to bed at nine," Wufei replied. "It's good to have you back, though I've noted the office has been unusually tidy and quiet. We actually got some work done in your absence." The slight smile on his face indicated the Chinese man was kidding.

The three agents turned towards the exit and Wufei took the lead in directing them back to the car, located in the parking garage.

"Thank you for the gifts," Heero said, putting his arm around Duo's shoulders as they walked and giving the braided agent a knowing look in the direction of Wufei.

"Did you like them?" asked Duo.

"Yes, it was very thoughtful of you to send them to me."

"And the talk of the whole building," Wufei added over his shoulder. "You're making the rest of us look bad, Duo. Tone it down a bit will you?"

"Jealous?" Duo snickered.

A snort was his reply.

It seemed natural to put his arm around Heero's waist, not to mention that it made walking in close proximity of the other man much easier. How long had he dreamed of being able to touch Heero in such a casual, familiar way? Before thinking, he squeezed Heero's waist and leaned into his side, craving to be as close as possible. With a start he realized what he was doing and silently scolded himself. He had to be more careful, being on the point of no return where Heero was concerned. For all he knew the man whose arm was so casually slung over his shoulder was only acting on the deal they'd made, to simply give the appearance of being a couple. Any free time he'd had during their separation, he'd debated over and over with himself what course of action he should take, feeling like he couldn't take this uncertainty any longer. He'd come to the conclusion that he just needed to suck it up and be up front and honest with Heero, to tell him about the depth of his feelings even though he feared the consequences might be the other man distancing himself, perhaps even cutting off their friendship if he felt uncomfortable with the idea. Maybe it was just as well that Wufei came along for the ride.

Once the three men were in the car and back on the road, the talk turned to their work assignments. Duo spoke of all that had happened in Washington, D.C. most of it dry investigative stuff, before the other two brought him up to speed on the improved, local security measures Wufei, Trowa and Heero had made. From their detailed descriptions, he doubted there was any place on Earth or on a colony as secure as the royal and government buildings in Sanq.

Stopping in front of Wufei's place of residence, the two bid their friend goodbye and goodnight as he climbed out of the car. They watched as he disappeared inside the front door of his apartment building before Heero turned the car away from the curb and back onto the road. After Duo questioned him regarding what Wufei knew and how, Heero told him an edited version of the conversation he'd had with the other man while driving to the airport, leaving out the part dealing with Duo's feelings for him during the war and his reasons for not responding.

Duo sighed and rested his head against the back of the front passenger seat. "Guess we shouldn't be too surprised that he guessed something was up. I can't believe that Quatre hasn't figured things out yet."

Even though he was driving, Heero wondered at the expression of guilt on Duo's face. "Wufei pieced things together, but I didn't confirm anything about our deal."

"Good. Even if he has figured things out, I don't think he'd give us any flack. Wu's a good friend, and he's really come a long way from his 'my way or else' mode of thinking that he had during the war. I'm still trying to get used to the idea that he has a sense of humor."

Duo leaned forward and turned on the car's radio and found a music station that fit his preferences, and in doing so ended their conversation. The music had a hard-driven beat and the words were almost unintelligible. Even so, Duo's head nodded to the drumbeat as he sang along, his hands and feet moving in time.

Heero drove up to the front of Duo's apartment building and stopped the car. His passenger turned in his seat in order to regard him, turned down the music and asked, "So you liked the gifts I sent?"

"I told you I did. They were very appropriate, just short of showy but still masculine. It was a very nice, thoughtful touch which I believed helped to convince everyone that we're a solid couple. Looks like we've been more than successful in this venture."

"Is the Bird of Paradise still alive?"

"And blooming." Heero smiled as he recalled the scarlet red petals that had slowly opened up to reveal a treasure of a bright yellow center. He'd lost count of how many agents, male and female, who had stopped by the office to admire and comment on the stunning plant that surprisingly appealed to his very masculine taste.

Duo moved to open the door and to say goodnight when Heero stopped him by saying, "I'll have a surprise waiting for you in the office tomorrow."

"Really?" The blue-violet eyes widened with anticipation.

"Can't have everyone thinking you're the only one who can be romantic."

Duo laughed and Heero smiled at the sound of it. "You were never one to let anyone out perform you," the braided man teased, then leaning over he planted a brief kiss on Heero's lips. "Except me." Duo said with a grin. "I'm the better pilot, remember? Night, Heero. See you in the morning."

"Need a lift?"

"Nah, think I'll ride my bike in. I kind of missed it while I was gone." Duo jumped out and the car door shut swiftly behind him, leaving anything Heero wanted to add hanging on his tongue.

After watching the braided man enter his building, Heero shook his head, gripped the steering wheel and muttered a frustrated, "Damn!" He left the radio on as he returned to his apartment to drown out his own thoughts and hold back the feeling of loneliness that followed in the wake of Duo's departure.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Deal  
****Part 10**

Duo made it to work in record time the following morning, regardless of the sleep he lost wondering what surprise Heero had up his sleeve. No matter what it was he was sure the gift would be calculated to show everyone that they were a bona fide couple. Setting the kick stand on his sleek and shiny black motorcycle, is pride and joy, he sighed as he dismounted and pulled the helmet off his head. He fastened it to his handlebars then shook his head so he wouldn't have helmet hair walking into the building.

As he made his way to the elevators, he wistfully wished their pretense of being the happy couple was true. Still, he harbored some hope that the quick, unsolicited kiss he'd given Heero the night before, when no one was there to see, might have given the Japanese man a small hint of how he really felt. Maybe next time they were alone he'd be bolder and slip in some tongue. It wasn't as if they hadn't kissed before, tongues and all, but it had always been for the benefit of others, open displays of affection to prove their interest in each other. That had been part of the deal. It had all been a ruse, a sham, and what a damn shame it was that everyone but Heero believed the affection, at lest on his part, was genuine.

There was only a slight bounce in his step that morning as he approached his office, a result of his sudden downturn in mood. Even the thought of Heero's surprise didn't buoy his spirits up as he stepped into the familiar room. While in the process of pulling off his leather jacket he looked to the room's occupants. "Hey, guys!" he casually greeted the five, all sitting at their desks. He continued towards his own spot in the room then slowly came to a halt, somewhat stunned. Comically, his eyes widened and jaw dropped. In place of his abused and well-worn, cloth-covered chair was a deep blue leather, executive-style one that could easily stand up against the fancy, expensive one that Quatre occupied in his office at Winner Industries and come out its equal. Reaching out, his hand passed over the smooth, cool surface of the high chair back, noting the contours in its design, shaped to fit his head and body perfectly. The raised arms of the chair appeared to be just the right height. A yellow bow was tied around the middle and a card was dangling from it's center. Pausing to look around the room and noting the smiles on everyone's faces, his gaze settled on Heero. Was it his imagination that the smile Heero wore was a bit brighter than usual? And was that a spark of excitement in those wonderful deep blue eyes?

"Surprised?" Heero asked, obviously amused by his reaction to the gift.

"Very." It felt as if his grin was going to split his face.

"Go ahead and try it out." Heero gave a nod towards the new piece of furniture.

"Okay." Setting his jacket down on the edge of his desk, Duo then searched his pockets to make sure there wasn't a sharp edge poking out somewhere that might mar the perfectly smooth surface. Assuring himself it was safe, he made a slow production of removing the bow and card, setting them on the desk, and then easing his body down onto the exquisite seat. Leaning into the back, his eyes slid to a close out of the sheer enjoyment of having such a decadent resting spot. The only thing that would be better, he decided, was if he could sit in it without the barrier of clothing that separated his skin from the cool, new smelling leather.

"I take it he likes it," Wufei said with a soft snicker.

"Like it? I'm deeply in love," Duo purred, then realized his comment could have a double meaning. Oh well, all the better for their audience.

"Is it comfortable?" Heero's voice was much closer now and Duo opened his eyes to see the other man standing at the edge of his desk, absently fingering the sleeve of his discarded leather jacket.

Jumping up, he threw his arms around Heero, hugging him tightly. "It's the best gift I've ever gotten," he said, then whispered in his ear, "But don't tell that to Quatre or he might think I didn't like all the gifts he gave me for Christmas last year."

"Just between us, then," Heero replied, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of Duo's neck, his warm breath causing a pleasurable shiver to ripple down his spine.

"Maxwell! What's going on here?" Une's unhappy voice abruptly separated the two young men.

"Umm... hi, Boss," Duo answered lamely, his cheeks warming with embarrassment. Stepping back from Heero he looked to his boss and directed her attention to his new chair. "Just thanking Heero for his gift."

Director Une's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the expensive piece of office furniture. "Don't you think it's a bit showy, Yuy?"

Straight faced, Heero answered the head of the Preventers in his most professional manner. "His other chair was in poor condition and affected his posture and performance. I requisitioned a replacement for him, but it appears there is a month's waiting list. I took matters into my own hands and purchased a proper chair for him from my own funds. I don't believe there's a regulation that prohibits such actions."

Une remained unresponsive for a moment. After giving a quick rebuking glance at Wufei, whose humorous snort had been quite audible following his teammate's explanation, she answered, "No. I don't believe there's a clause that says you can't purchase your own office furniture or, in this case, for someone else. I do know, however, that there is a no fraternization-between-partners rule that might bear reading by both you and Mr. Maxwell. It seems you two are the talk of the entire building and the little demonstration I just witnessed seems to support the rumors. Must I remind you gentlemen that any deviation from this rule may have serious consequences to your current standing in this organization?"

With those words of warning, Duo's hopes and dreams for a true relationship with Heero came crashing down in a heart-crushing demise. He could only guess that his lapse in memory of such a rule was due to the thickness of the employee handbook he'd been given on his acceptance into Preventers. He vaguely recalled briefly glancing at the monstrously thick volume before tossing it into the bottom of his desk drawer, intending to use it as a reference when needed. He'd never read more than three pages. He supposed it only made sense that there was a rule about not being involved with a partner, emotional attachments had the potential for causing an agent to hesitate at a moment of crisis. Glancing at Heero and his face, now closed off from all emotion, there was no doubt in his mind that the other man would never break with regulations just to be with him, especially if it endangered his career. He studied Heero for a moment longer, with both curiosity and dread, wondering what he would say in reply to their boss. He suspected that he would assure her that the situation would be dealt with and their deal would be off.

"If you have a moment, I would like to have a word with you in private." Heero's focus was on Director Une as he spoke, and Duo couldn't help but wonder what he was up to. Would he tell her about the deal, that it was only a farce? Why did that idea not make him feel any better? Telling Une was probably the more practical thing to do if they wanted to keep their jobs.

Une glanced at her watch and frowned. "I came here to get Maxwell's report, but I can give you five minutes. Here or in my office?"

"Here." Heero looked to the others with a nod of his head towards the door. Byrd and Kurhle were the first to leave. Trowa and Wufei moved a bit more slowly, waiting for Duo to join them.

"Should I stay?" Duo asked hesitantly, looking for some direction from Heero.

"No. I'll handle this. Could you make me some tea?"

Nodding, Duo grabbed his jacket from off his desk and hung it on the rack by the door before being ushered out of the room by Trowa. Wufei turned to close the door behind them, pausing only to give Heero a warning glare before shutting it completely.

"How could I not have known about the fraternization rule?" Duo asked while moping between his two friend as they walked towards the cafeteria.

"What do you think Heero's saying to her?" Trowa asked, concern evident on his usually placid face.

Duo shook his head, and answered glumly, "I don't know. I can only assume he won't risk his position here by keeping our relationship going."

"Maybe that would be for the best," Wufei mumbled.

"Yeah, maybe." Duo's voice sounded as dejected as he felt.

Abruptly grabbing Duo by the arm, Trowa jerked the long-haired man around to face him. After leveling an unhappy glare at Wufei for his last comment, the tall Preventer's green eyes focused solely on the man in his grasp. "What are you saying, Duo? I thought things were good between you and Heero. Isn't his gift to you this morning proof of his feelings? Even if his former training urges him to obey rules and regulations, are you just going to let him give you up without a fight?"

Duo could only shake his head, unable to truthfully answer his friend considering the fact that he and Heero had led them to believe there was much more to their relationship that there truthfully was. But it wasn't real, not like he wished it to be.

Wufei took that moment to speak up. "Just leave it alone, Trowa. It will work itself out in time."

Trowa frowned at the Chinese agent. "What do you know that I don't, Wufei?"

"That perhaps things aren't always as they seem." With that said, Wufei turned on his heel and proceeded to the cafeteria get his morning tea.

"Duo?"

The braided man's eyes trailed after the retreating man, his eyes narrowing as he remembered Heero's comment the night before, that their Chinese friend was onto them. "You know Wufei tends to be cryptic in the morning. He thinks conspiracies and plots surround him before he's had two cups of green tea and visits the bathroom."

The expression on Trowa's face indicated he doubted Duo's reasoning, yet instead of pressing it further he gave the braided man a slight smile and slung his arm around the smaller man's shoulders. "Let's get our drinks and then strong-arm Heero into telling us what happened."

"Sounds like a plan," Duo replied as lightly as he could manage, then let his friend lead him in the direction Wufei had disappeared to a moment before.

They returned to the office five minutes later to find Heero back at his desk. Duo approached, setting the hot cup of tea down on the desktop and waited until the other man looked up. "So, what happened?"

Heero glanced up from his computer, then shifted his gaze to the other occupants of the room. "Can we talk about it at lunch?"

Duo blinked, expecting a straightforward answer, not a delay. It could only mean Heero had bad news to deliver. It seemed their ruse had definitely come to an end. "Ah.. Yeah. Sure."

Turning, he went back to his desk and sat in his new chair. Before him was the bow and card he'd taken off earlier. Next to them was a note from Une saying his report should be sent to her no later than noon that day. Ignoring her note, he reached for the card, turned it and lifted the unsealed flap. It was a piece of light blue, high quality paper with four Japanese characters in the center, written in bold, black ink. Beneath it was Heero's more recognizable writing in English, probably for the benefit of their nosey friends. _Glad you're home. I missed you. Love, Heero._

_I missed you, too_, Duo thought to himself with a sigh as he folded the card and put it back into the envelope for safe keeping. He'd ask Heero later what the Japanese symbols meant. For now, he had a couple of hours to prepare himself for the emotional letdown he was bound to have when Heero delivered the bad news.

A call came to Wufei at approximately 11:15 a.m. A breach in the security had been detected at the government building. He, Trowa and Heero quickly left the office, leaving Duo to finish his report with agents Kurhle and Byrd for company.

The others didn't return to the office that afternoon. Disheartened, Duo shut out the office lights as he followed behind the two other agents, who got off the elevator on the main lobby while he continued on to the lower parking level. Entering the nearly empty parking garage he walked directly to his motorcycle, automatically tucking his braid beneath the collar of his jacket. Upon reaching the black bike, he worked to unfastened the strap holding his helmet securely to the handlebar. Before he had a chance to place it on his head, the sound of running feet stopped caught his attention.

"Duo!"

He turned around to see Heero coming from the direction of the stairwell, looking anxious. "What's up?" he asked, concerned that Heero seemed to be a bit breathless. He set his helmet back on the handlebars and waited for the other man to reach him.

"I wanted to talk to you before you went home. Sorry I missed you at lunch."

"It's okay," Duo shrugged, though he was thinking, _At lunch, now or next week, bad new is still bad news, whenever it's delivered.. _The other man came to a full stop less than a foot in front of him. There was definitely something about Heero that was... off, Duo decided. With a start he realized that Heero was biting the inside of his cheek, a sign that he was either upset or nervous.

Guessing that Heero was having difficulty severing their deal, Duo decided to make things easier for the other man. "So the game's over, isnt it?"

"Yes.. No!" Heero snapped, quickly correcting himself. "The ruse, well... it served its purpose, right? But now it looks like we have a new... dilemma."

Thinking Heero meant they were back to square one, with the same problems they'd had before coming up with their plan, he answered, "Ah, yes. The dating vultures. I suppose we could say we're just too heartbroken from our breakup to even think of dating anyone else. That might keep them off our backs for a month or two."

The look Heero shot at him was rather strange, but then to confuse Duo even more, his friend cast his eyes down to the cement floor and said in a subdued tone, "If that's really what you want."

Duo frowned. _What the hell?_ Something was definitely wrong here. He hadn't seen the other man act this insecure before. "Are you alright? What did Director Une say? Did you tell her about our plan, the reasons for our displays of affection?"

"I did." Heero's reply seemed hesitant.

"And?"

The long pause that followed was fraught with tension. Then Heero straightened, looked Duo in the eye and boldly declared, "I told her that the game was over."

"Oh," was all Duo could manage in reply with his heart in his throat and eyes strangely itchy.

"Duo..."

Heero's bold attitude was suddenly replaced again with an appearance of uncertainty and his eyes turned towards the cement floor once more. The braided man watched as Heero seemed to struggle for the right words to say. Finally, when those deep blue eyes rose to meet his own, there was something in them that begged for understanding. He didn't have time to ponder the meaning behind that look, for the gap between them suddenly closed when Heero's arm reached out, his hand slipped around his back and pulled their bodies together. And then those warm, wonderful lips quickly captured his mouth. Without any thought of hesitating, Duo reciprocated in kind, even though he'd initially been surprised by the suddenness of Heero's move. The soft moans of pleasure he was unable to suppress seemed to encourage the former Wing pilot as he continued to deepen the kiss, melding much more than just their mouths together. Duo wasn't sure what this kiss meant, if this was Heero's way of ending their deal or something more. But he figured that if this was indeed the end of their faux relationship, he'd take whatever Heero was willing to give him, even if it was a last, goodbye kiss.

When at last their lips separated and their bodies were trembling, and not only from a lack of oxygen, Duo buried his head in the crook of Heero warm neck, not wanting to be anywhere else in all the world. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but why did you do that? There's no one here to see it."

"Exactly," Heero answered, cradling Duo's body against his firm chest. "The game's over, Duo."

Disappointment, sadness and hurt filled the braided man's heart and mind. He only had himself to blame for falling in love with Heero all over again. Even though he knew an end to the deal was inevitable, it wasn't helping him to cope with the pain of losing the only man he'd ever loved. With a resigned sigh he pushed himself away from Heero embrace and moved to step back. He was stopped short when two strong hands firmly clasped his upper arms. Looking up, he was confused by the shy smile that Heero was wearing.

His confusion and hurt must have shown on his face, for Heero's smile faltered slightly. A hand, one which had once bent steel, came up to gently cradle the right side of his face, and Heero's incredible blue eyes softened. "No more acting or hiding our true feelings," he said resolutely.

"True feelings?" Duo's confusion doubled.

"I love you."

The braided man blinked as he assimilated what Heero has just said. Surely he hadn't just uttered the three words Duo had longed for yet never thought to hear uttered from Heero's mouth. "You love me?"

Heero nodded.

Cautiously, Duo asked, "As a friend or what?" Clarification was vitally important at this point.

Heero's smile widened, and to Duo it was more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen before. Leaning close so that there faces were only inches apart, Heero answered the question. "As a friend, lover and, hopefully your life-long companion."

The darker haired man blurred for a moment as moisture gathered in Duo's eyes. Lunging forward, he threw himself at Heero, wrapped his arms around him and held on for dear life. Was this real or just one of his far-fetched dreams of a perfect world? He continued to cling tightly to the other man, feeling Heero's warm body, firm and strong against his own. This close, he cold smell the fading scent of orange and cinnamon from the soap the other man favored. Heero's arms held him in place, reaffirming that this indeed was no dream.

"I can't believe this," he whispered with a choked voice. "I've loved you for so long."

"I know, and I'm sorry to have made you wait."

Pulling slowly out of Heero's arms, Duo touched the handsome face of the man who had held his heart since they were fifteen. Heero had changed since then, his face was no longer that of a boy, but of a maturing man. There was the strong chin, angular face and beautiful blue eyes that now were focused solely on him. "You knew how I felt about you during the war?"

Heero nodded. "I knew."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't know what I wanted back then. During the war, when I first noticed your attraction to me, I was completely focused on the war and the ending of it, which was my ultimate goal. I couldn't be distracted from that end. After the wars it took me a while to discover that I was not only attracted to you, but that my feelings for you were something I'd never had for anyone else. I wanted you Duo, but I didn't act or tell you how I felt because by then you were actively seeing other people. I thought it was better to stand back and let you find who or what it was that you wanted or needed. You appeared to have outgrown your infatuation with me, so I waited and watched.

"When you announced your unhappiness to everyone in the office, I jumped in when I saw an opening. Thanks to the two women on my floor, competing for my attention that day, I finally got my chance. The ruse to act as a couple came as inspiration, a solution to showing you that I'd changed, that I could be more than just your friend."

Duo really didn't think it was possible to be more surprised than he was at that moment, and he stood slack-jawed while listening to Heero's explanation. He was suddenly filled with regret, thinking about all the people he'd dated and openly talked about, many of whom he'd used in trying to fill the emptiness his unrequited love for Heero had caused. "So much time wasted," he whispered unhappily with a shake of his head.

"Not wasted, but time invested," Heero corrected. "I know what I want now, and that's you, Duo. I can only hope I've read you correctly in thinking that you want me also."

Moving closer, the braided man brought his lips close to Heero's, then paused to whisper as their eyes met once more, "I have dated a lot of people, slept with a few, but you're all I've ever wanted, Heero." The kiss they shared following that declaration was heated, but only a precursor to what was ahead of them. They parted once more with twin smiles of happiness set on their faces. Though there was much more to be said, at the moment, they had said enough.

Reaching into his jacket's pocket, Duo pulled out the card Heero had given him that morning and waved it in front of the Japanese man, wearing an impish grin. "So, what do these symbols mean?"

"Aishiteru."

"O...kay. Wanna tell me what it means?"

A mischievous smile came to Heero's lips. "I think it requires a demonstration rather than simply telling you."

A light of understanding lit up Duo's eyes. He looked around nervously at the parking garage. "Here?"

"Not unless we want to lose our jobs."

That reply caused Duo to pause and recall the events earlier in the day. With a worried expression he asked, "What do we do about the fraternization clause?"

Heero shrugged. "I told the director that I'd quit rather than lose you."

Duo blinked, unable to believe his ears. "You'd quit your job just to be with me?"

"That's what I just said," Heero said with a grin.

Duo wanted to throw himself on Heero and show him that he'd never, ever regret falling in love with him, but he really did love his job and he was well aware that there were security cameras throughout the garage. "Come on, then. Let's get out of here." Turning back to his motorcycle, Duo retrieved his helmet and handed it to Heero to strap on. Swinging a leg over the seat to straddle his bike, he let down the kick stand, started the engine and revved it while waiting for Heero to sit down behind him, and nestle close against his back before moving.

"Where to?" he asked his companion over the motorcycle's low rumble.

"Wherever you lead, I'll follow," Heero said, and he was close enough that his breath tickled Duo's ear as he spoke, the braided man knew the other man meant much more than just a destination, it Heero's subtle way of making a promise of commitment.

"What about Une and our jobs?" Duo shouted back, the job issue resurfacing.

"She looked like she was about to be ill when I said I'd quit rather than give you up. After recovering, she indicated that if we were discreet, she'd look the other way, at least for now."

Duo twisted in his seat and smiled at the other man sitting so close behind him and wearing his black helmet. His heart was near to bursting with love for Heero. "That might be a problem," he stated, letting his hand rest possessively on Heero's thigh. "Now that I know you're mine, it's going to be hard keeping my eyes and hands off of you. Any suggestions?"

Heero's grin grew to match Duo's. "I suggest we take all of our back sick leave and vacation time and leave town, take the time to... absorb each other."

Absorb each other had so many wonderful connotations, Duo thought. "Sounds good, but what about the cases I'm working on?"

"You've got competent agents working in the field for you, hand them over to your top man with a promise to check in regularly. We can even leave him our cell phone numbers."

It seemed to Duo that Heero had everything worked out. He vaguely wondered what their friends would say about them taking over a month off of work together. Undoubtedly it would stretch the team, but at the moment, he didn't really care about anyone other than the man sitting behind him, his blue eyes blazing with something other than mild interest "Sounds like a good plan," he replied with a grin.

The helmeted man pressed deliciously up against Duo's backside, his right hand eased inside his jacket and began to stroke his uniformed covered belly. Heero's breath warmed and tickled his ear when he said, "Depending on how things go, we could talk about sharing a place when we come back. That way we can spend our free time together so that the need to touch won't be as extreme as it is right now." Then in a more serious tone Heero added, "That is, if you don't mind having someone to come home to, someone to eat and sleep with and giving up your wild bachelor lifestyle for?"

The arms around Duo's waist tightened and he had to fight his own "extreme" need to touch which Heero had just spoken of. Twisting a bit more and navigating through the helmet's opening, Duo brushed his lips against the willing lips of man behind him before reluctantly turning forward, forcing himself to focus his attention on guiding the bike out of the parking garage. The sooner they were on their way the sooner they could be somewhere more suited to their needs.

The drizzle that greeted them as they emerged from the underground garage and onto the street didn't seem to trouble the two men as the motorcycle carried them into the late, rush-hour traffic, heading in the direction of the braided man's apartment. Nothing, not rain, wet clothing or rude drivers, could dampen the feelings of happiness and anticipation the two young men felt in that moment. Once again, a future neither man believed was possible was within their grasp.

Duo guided the motorcycle past the tangle of congested traffic with an unstoppable grin of happiness fixed on his face, loving the feel of Heero's body pressed tightly against his back. Oblivious to the rain, both men were a bit heady with thoughts of what was about to happen. There was no turning back, nor any desire to do so. They had waited long enough, and after years of pining, dreaming and almost giving up, nothing would stand in their way of being together. Neither man spoke during the remainder of the ride so they had no idea they were both thinking not only about how their lives were about to change, but how wonderful getting undressed, drying off and warming up together was going to be. Heero was hoping they could make it out of the parking garage and up to Duo's apartment complex before jumping each other, while Duo imagined the opportunity the enclosed elevator ride up to the sixth floor provided.

Sitting in the chair from which she made some of the most important decisions of her career concerning the welfare of the organization she helped to establish as well as each and every Preventer agent under her watchful care, Director Une viewed the scene captured by one of many security cameras in the parking garage after being informed by the monitoring room of the presence of the two targeted agents. She leaned forward in her chair as the men began to talk, anxious about the outcome of this meeting after her "chat" with Agent Yuy.

The two handsome men, valued agents to her organization, stepped closer to each other. "Get on with it," she muttered while leaning even closer to the monitor. She became worried as she watched their faces. It didn't seem as though things were going well. Then suddenly Duo lunged forward and embraced Heero tightly. The men held onto each other for several long moments and then... Unblinking, the woman watched two of her top agents practically devour each other in a desperate kiss, and when they hesitantly pulled back, she could see they were smiling at each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying, the cameras had no auditory devices, but after watching them talk for a few moments she believed that she'd witnessed enough to make the long awaited call.

Reaching for her phone she dialed a memorized number.

"Chang," came the voice on the other end of the line.

"Mission accomplished."

A sigh of relief could be heard from the Chinese man. "Good. Thank you for your help. Those two would have strung this out for months if someone hadn't forced them to act."

A tender smile grew on the director's face. Love was a wonderful thing to witness as well as experience. She removed her glasses with one hand and the clip that held her hair up with another and shook it out, relieving some of the tension that was typically a part of her work day. "Glad to help, Wufei. Now perhaps everyone else in the building will return to focusing on their own jobs and not on Agents Maxwell and Yuy's romance. And speaking of romance, are we still on for tomorrow night?"

Wufei's voice softened perceptibly, and there was a strong hint of warmth in his tone when he replied, "My place or yours?"

**The End**

And so my fluff story comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed it. Not sure what's next, maybe a Halloween one shot. But whatever it is, it's bound to show up in a week or two. Thanks for reading, and an extra serving of gratitude for Swordy, my proofreader, and to those who took the time to make a comment or two. Hugs.


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